No Time for Errors
by LadyKitsune1116
Summary: When Kit awakens on the main island of an archipelago in serious distress, she finds herself dropped headfirst in the middle of a conflict that may determine the fate of the land. With the aid of her companion, Prince Alexander from the kingdom of Daventry, can Kit resolve matters and bring a long forgotten peace to the islands?
1. Introduction

I awoke one day on my side, not in my bed, but on a sandy beach. Scattered around me were the remains of an apparent shipwreck. A long plank rested in the sand to my left. Something glinted at me to my right. It looked like my ruby-and-diamond ring.

I looked down at my left hand. No ring. So it was my ring.

I stood up, walked over to my ring, picked it up, and slid it onto my left ring finger. Then I walked over to the plank, picked it up and pushed it aside. A small box, partially buried in the sand, rested beneath it.

I stooped, opened the box, and found a small copper coin inside. I took the coin, slipped it into my pocket, then brushed the sand off my fingertip.

Wait a second, I heard myself thinking. Why is this place so familiar?

Then it hit me.

"Uh-oh."

Somehow, I have no idea exactly how, I had wound up beached on the Isle of the Crown, the main isle of the Land of the Green Isles.


	2. The Beginning

I headed away from the beach and down the path. A large tree sat in front of the point where the path forked. The left path headed into an Arabian style village. The right went straight to a majestic castle. Knowing that visiting the castle had to come first, I headed right down the small hill.

Outside the castle was a small hut big enough for someone to hide in. I quickly ducked inside and peered out.

I knew that once I saw another person walking up the path that I had done the right thing. This man, dressed in a green suit coat and leather-hide boots, was the man who was meant to embark on the quest ahead. Maybe I was here to help him.

Once he reached the gate, I heard a gruff voice snarl, "No strangers may enter the Castle of the Crown!"

Moments later, I heard the man address the guards. "Good day to you, guards. I was cast upon this island in a storm, and I'm a little confused about my location. Could you tell me what place this is, and who lives in this castle?"

The first gruff voice snorted. "Eh? What is that you say? A castaway? A likely story! We haven't had any foreigners in this part since Alhazred arrived!"

A new, husky voice reprimanded the first voice. "Don't be so rude, Gruff! He's not asking for any secrets!"

Well, would you believe it. Gruff voice belongs to a dog named Gruff.

"You're standing on the Isle of the Crown, lad, and this is the Castle of the Crown. The royal family resides here, or rather, what's left of the royal family," the guard dog with the husky voice amended.

"The Isle of the Crown?" the man repeated. "But tell me, am I anywhere near the Land of the Green Isles?"

Even though he had no way of knowing, I wanted to scream in frustration. As was once said, it was a real burden being right so often.

Gruff clearly felt the same way. "This IS the Land of the Green Isles! The Isle of the Crown is the main island, foolish boy!"

The "foolish boy" was obviously man enough to ignore the guard's snide disposition, for now anyway. "Then Princess Cassima must live in this very castle!"

"Aye!" the second guard agreed. "The princess is indeed our treasured jewel to guard, and we consider it an honor!"

The man cleared his throat. "Excuse me, guardsmen…eh, guard dogs. I've been traveling for months to see Princess Cassima. I would like an audience, please."

"I'm sorry," Gruff answered in a tone that suggested he was anything but sorry, "but the princess is not receiving visitors, particularly not strangers!"

"I really must see the princess," the man insisted. "Could I at least speak with someone in charge?"

"Who are you that I should bother Captain Saladin, huh?" Gruff demanded.

"My name is Alexander," he answered somewhat coolly. "I am a prince of Daventry, and a friend of the princess."

Gruff scoffed. "A prince, is it? I see. Yeah, and I am lord of this dusty path! Step aside. You'll not be getting into this castle without some proof of your claims!"

If Alexander was half as smart as I hoped him to be, this would be a real no-brainer. Sure enough, Alexander displayed his left hand, showing his royal insignia ring. "Perhaps this ring will convince you of my identity. It is the royal insignia ring of Daventry."

Gruff scoffed once again. "I'm sure. Just let me take a look at that ring." After a moment, he went on, "Well, eh, heh, I'm sorry, your highness. It's just that princes are so uncommon in these parts. Let me get Captain Saladin."

I smiled to myself. The game was on.

Seconds later, I heard the castle doors open and close. Gruff had returned with the Captain of the Guard, a noble-looking creature. When he spoke, his voice was gentle, but reflected a will of iron.

"Prince Alexander of Daventry, I presume. I'm afraid I am unfamiliar with your country, but I'm sure Vizier Alhazred will want to meet you, if indeed you are a friend of the princess. Please, follow me."

About a minute later, the doors closed once again. Now all I had to do was wait.

I nearly fell asleep in the small hut off the path when Alexander and Saladin returned.

"You have had your hearing with Vizier Alhazred. I trust you'll respect his wishes and not return. I have been instructed not to let you into the castle again. Good day, milord."

After a moment, the doors closed and Alexander passed my hiding place. I heard him say, "Now what?"

"We get into the castle, of course," I answered, catching up to him.

He turned, astonished. "Who are you?"

"Never mind that now. We've got a long journey ahead of us, and not a lot of time to do it. Follow me."

"But-"

I stopped, turning towards him. "Look, all you need to do is trust me, and soon you and Cassima will be reunited. All right?"

Alexander blinked, then nodded once. "All right. We can get to know each other as time goes on. Lead the way, then."


	3. The Journey Begins

"Now, since we know nothing about this place, no better way to start than gathering information, wouldn't you agree?"

Alexander shrugged. "I suppose so. Would you mind telling me your name?"

"Kit. Call me Kit."

"Ah. Well, I'd introduce myself, yet you already seem to know me."

I tilted my head to one side. "That's not entirely accurate, but okay."

"What do you know?" he inquired.

"I know all about your misadventure with the wizard Manannan, which led to the ordeal with Mordack," I answered. "That's where you met Cassima."

Alexander was now listening raptly. "You know about my father's journey to save me and my family from Mordack?"

"Personally, I thought it was hilarious when he confronted the witch in the dark forest," I added, chuckling. "Oh, the look on your father's face, priceless."

Alexander stopped, taking my shoulder and staring in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"Why don't we tell stories later? In the meantime, we've got to go in here." I climbed the steps of the bookstore and opened the door.

Inside, a black-cloaked man stood by the fire, looking around. Another man was standing at a far bookshelf, reshelving some books. "Hello," he called. "I will be right up." He put a couple more books away, then went to his desk. "Now! What can I do for you?"

I gestured at Alexander to follow me and went up to the desk. "Good day to you, sir. We're strangers in this land and we'd like to know a bit more about it."

The owner raised both eyebrows in amazement. "That is quite a question, young lady. Who are you, and what would you have me tell you?"

"My name is Kit, and this is my companion Alexander. We know this is the Isle of the Crown, but we'd like to learn as much as we can about this island, and if there are other islands nearby."

"You are indeed strangers," the merchant agreed. "Anxious are the ones who know not the customs of the land beneath their feet." He cleared his throat once and began his story.

"This island is called the Isle of the Crown because the royal family's castle is here. Besides the castle, we also have this village and the docks over to the west. There are at least three other islands: the Isle of the Sacred Mountain, the Isle of the Beast, and the Isle of Wonder."

"At least three?" Alexander repeated for confirmation. "Does no one know for certain?"

The merchant laughed gently. "This is no ordinary land, Alexander. The Land of the Green Isles has always been a place of vague boundaries, as if islands come and go. Legend speaks of a fourth island, an isle shrouded in mists. I myself have never seen it. Then, too, the Land of the Green Isles is said to exist on the boundaries of this world and the next. Even darker places are reputed to be closer here than anywhere else in the world!"

"That's quite a claim!" Alexander whistled in amazement. I was glad he was paying attention, at any rate.

The merchant laughed again. "Claim, yes, but probably just local superstition. We who live here on the Isle of the Crown at least sleep well every night."

"Pardon me," I interrupted quietly, since this conversation was really between Alexander and the bookshop owner. "But those first three islands you mentioned, how can one learn more about them?"

"Ideally, a young man and lady seeking such knowledge would travel to their shores and learn about them first-hand. Meeting the leaders of each place would be helpful, naturally. Unfortunately, the ferry no longer runs between the islands. There has been much political unrest and it has been too dangerous to travel for years. Perhaps the ferryman can tell you more," he suggested wearily. "He has little enough to do these days. And if you haven't been there already, you might seek an audience at the castle."

Alexander and I nodded our heads at him. "Thank you kindly, merchant, for all your good advice," he said courteously.

"Ah, but advice is free, Alexander," the owner responded. "Making use of it costs much more."

Alexander smiled at him before moving over to the love poetry section. I went to the door, noticed a small book on a stool and picked it up.

"Oh yes, please take that book!" the merchant called to me. "You have my most humble thanks for doing so, good lady!"

I smiled politely. "Thanks." Then I saw Alexander put the book he was reading back on the shelf. A single page fluttered to the ground. Stooping, Alexander picked up the page and examined it.

"I see that old volume has lost another page. You may keep it if you like, sir. I have glued the stubborn thing back in place two times already," the merchant sighed.

Alexander smiled. "I do rather like it. Thank you, merchant." Then he noticed the book on the merchant's desk. "How much for that book on the counter, merchant?"

I came over to them as the merchant answered, "A fine book, is it not? I obtained it from the estate of the one and only magician this kingdom has ever had. Poofed himself into an aardvark in the end, or so I heard. I never found the spells all that useful, myself, but then I lead a boring life. I tell you what: if you can find another rare book, something a bit more marketable, I might be willing to exchange the spellbook for it."

I tapped Alexander's shoulder. "Let's go talk to the ferryman. I bet he knows a way around the islands."


	4. A Means of Travel

Alexander and I walked from the village to the western docks. There, we spotted a young boy stripped to his underwear dive from the dock into the water. He waved to us. "Hey, strangers, come join me! The water is wonderful, and I can show you the way to the next island!"

Alexander and I watched the boy bob carelessly in the water. While Alexander watched in interest, I wasn't so trusting. Even if what the book merchant said was only local superstition, legends always had a shred of fact about them. When Alexander looked over at me, he asked, "Why that look? He's offered to show us the way."

"Don't those eyes look familiar to you?" I asked him in return, narrowing my eyes.

Alexander turned back to examine the boy's eyes. "Now you mention it, actually…"

Gently grabbing his wrist, I led him away from the docks and onto the dry-docked ferry deck. "We came here to talk to the ferryman. If he tells us it's safe to swim, then we'll swim. If not, we'll find another way."

"What are you waiting for?!" the boy called impatiently. "I said I'd show you how to get to the next island, didn't I?"

Ignoring him, I knocked a few times on the door of the ferry's cabin. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him disappear in a sudden wave. Or maybe it wasn't a wave at all.

After a second, the door opened. "Yeah? Whaddaya want?"

The ferryman was a typical breed of sailor, dressed in a white tunic and pants. The man had obviously been out of work for some time; his clothes were proper, yet dirty and uncared for. His dark eyes watched us impatiently as he waited for us to explain why we dared intrude on his isolation.

I cleared my throat. "Pardon us. My name is Kit and this is Alexander. The owner of the bookshop in the village told us you'd be able to help us."

The ferryman raised his eyebrows, yet looked no less impatient.

"We hear you used to run this ferry for the islands," Alexander supplemented. "We'd just like to talk to you if you have a moment."

"Ya say ol' Ali sent ya?" the ferryman asked. "Can't see why. The ferry's not running, you know."

"I understand," I said, nodding. "We'd just like to have a word about the islands, if you don't mind."

The ferryman contemplated for a second, then nodded. "Well, I guess it'd be all right, if Ali sent ya. Well, don't just stand there, c'mon inside," he invited, stepping aside for us to walk in.

Inside the cabin, it was simple with a homey feeling. Clearly the ferryman was passionate about his job…or rather, his former job. A small bed sat against the wall, and a circular table sat in the middle of the room. Only two chairs stood at the table.

"I'll see if I can find another chair," the ferryman started, but I shook my head. "That's fine, I don't mind standing."

"Well, if you're sure," he said, sitting down and inviting Alexander to do the same. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Taking the initiative, Alexander jumped right in. "We're visitors to these islands. We'd like to learn what we can about the area."

"So ya said outside," the ferryman agreed, nodding. "What is it you wanna know?"

"Well, for starters," I began, "why is the island's only ferry dry-docked?"

The ferryman sighed. "It just ain't safe to sail these days, what with the islands feuding and all. Vizier Alhazred ordered the ferry closed until things settled down. Me? I don't think she'll ever see water again." He sighed again, wistfully this time.

"The islands are feuding?" I asked. From the look on Alexander's face, he too smelled a rat. "Why?"

The ferryman shrugged. "Ya got me. Something about stolen property or some such thing. 'Tis a real shame. Things used to be so friendly."

"Then this unrest is recent," Alexander deduced.

"A few years is all, but it's been long enough," the ferryman answered.

"Perhaps if the ferry were repaired?" he suggested.

"This ole thing?" the ferryman said, raising both eyebrows. "This ferry's been out of water for so long, she's no longer even seaworthy. Her boards have dry rot. She'd fall apart at the first taste of seawater."

"But there must be some way to get off this island," Alexander insisted, almost sounding like he was pleading.

"There's only one other way to travel that I know of, a magic map. The owner of the Pawn Shop can tell you more about that than I can, Alexander."

We nodded, then I asked, "So did you enjoy your job ferrying people between the islands?"

The ferryman settled back in his chair, a reminiscent gleam in his eye. "I remember when I used to ferry Queen Allaria and Princess Cassima themselves. There was no thought of danger then. They used to go visiting to care for the needy and to keep up the friendly relations between the islands."

Alexander smiled.

"I remember their last trip," the ferryman continued, a bit sadly now. "Things had started getting nasty by then, and when they came back aboard, I gathered that the queen and the princess had been received a bit coldly. Princess Cassima was such a pretty thing and she was terribly upset. 'But who could be spreading these lies?' she asked the queen, but the queen had no answer."

"So what do you do now?" I went on, allowing mild sorrow to color my tone to reflect my sympathy for him.

"Me? I'm out of a job. The job my ancestors have held for generations. I'm the only one trained to avoid the reef and the rocks, but that knowledge does me no good now," he sighed.

"Is there no other boat on the island?" Alexander asked. "One that might be more seaworthy?"

_That's smart,_I thought to myself. In case the magic map was a hoax, he was looking for alternatives.

"Boats don't last long on these shoals, as you may have found out if ya got here by ship," the ferryman answered, shaking his head. "Ya can be quite sure that this ole ferry is, or was, the only craft on the island."

"Hmm," Alexander and I chorused. "Begging your pardon," I went on, walking towards the table, "but I couldn't help but notice you have a rabbit's foot. Has it brought you much luck?"

The ferryman picked up the furry talisman and waved it slightly. "As ya can see, my luck's been out for some time now, despite this old charm. Why don't ya take it with ya? Perhaps giving the darn thing away will bring me good fortune at last."

"Perhaps it will," I agreed. "Thank you." He held it out to me and I took it, stowing it in my satchel.

Alexander stood, offering his hand for the ferryman to shake. "Well, I think we'll be going now. Thanks for allowing us into your home."

"Posh," the ferryman scoffed, shaking my hand. "Not at all. It breaks the boredom, if you know what I mean." He sighed once more as he waved goodbye to us.

As we walked back into the village, I hesitated outside the bookstore. Alexander hadn't noticed me stop and walked on to the Pawn Shop.

"Alexander, wait," I called to him.

He turned around and looked inquiringly at me. "What is it?"

"There's something I want to check in here, come on." I opened the door to the bookshop again and Alexander followed me inside.

The strange cloaked man from before had gone, but there was a new occupant in the easy chair by the fire. He was dressed flamboyantly, with bell-toed shoes and a small pointed clown's hat.

Politely acknowledging the merchant, I walked over to the man and cleared my throat. "Pardon me, sir, but would you mind telling me anything you know about the Land of the Green Isles?"

He looked up from his book and I could see his face clearly. His eyes were dark, like the ferryman's, but they were warm and held a friendly sparkle. He also wore makeup akin to a jester's. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "but I have no time for idle conversation. I'm too worried about the princess."

The word "princess" worked wonders on Alexander's view of the man. Quickly, he walked forward, displaying his royal insignia ring as he formally introduced himself. "I'm sorry to insist, but my name is Alexander of Daventry, and-"

The man looked up once again in politely mild interest. "I appreciate the offer of the ring, Alexander, but I'm afraid I'm already spoken-" Something Alexander said seemed to spark something in his memory. "Daventry? Where have I heard of Daventry?"

After another pause, he recalled something else. "Flying flitmice!" he gasped. "You must be Prince Alexander! Cassima told me about you when she arrived home! How came you here?"

Alexander seemed stunned by the man's close connection with the princess, yet answered in spite of himself. "Why, by a ship now wrecked upon the sand. But, you know Cassima? She truly spoke of me?"

"Yes, yes," the man answered, nodding his head as he continued to think, "I-I saw her briefly when she first returned home. She mentioned a prince to me, Prince Alexander of Daventry. I'm afraid that was before she was told about her parents' deaths."

He leaned back in his chair, remembering the day Cassima came home. "You see, she arrived home a few weeks too late. The king and queen thought they'd never see her again. It is said they died of heartbreak. I'm afraid she's blamed herself."

I covered my mouth with a single hand, furrowing my brow in anxiety. Alexander mirrored my feelings. "What a terrible homecoming! If we had only known…" he frowned.

The man sniffed. "Terrible, indeed. Everyone in the kingdom seems to despair with her these days. The streets are silent."

"Where is the princess now?" I asked.

"Sequestered in mourning," he answered, looking up at me. "It's a rather dated tradition, and not required, but the vizier says she insisted out of respect."

So what Alhazred said was true. That part, at any rate.

"I see," Alexander said. "You've yet to say who you are and how you know Cassima."

His eyes widened as he realized the truth in Alexander's words. "I? Oh, pardon me! My name is Jollo! I am clown to the royal court and have been since the marriage of Cassima's parents, King Caliphim and Queen Allaria."

I bowed my head to him. Since Cassima didn't know me, neither did he. "My name is Kit. It's a pleasure to meet you; any friend of the princess is a friend of ours. But I'm sorry, I interrupted your story. Please continue."

Jollo beamed at me, as if to say no harm done. "Ha-ho, those were the happy days. The king and queen were so full of joy and life…so in love. And Cassima's birth-it would be hard to explain how long they had waited, how they had hoped for a child. I mean, she was such a charming little thing, smart as a whip; kind and sweet. Oh, she means everything to this kingdom, you two, and to me! I'm so terribly worried about her!"

"You mean, about her grief over her parents?" Alexander asked.

"Well, the truth is, I do not trust the vizier, or his plans for Cassima," Jollo conceded. "I'm still living at the Castle of the Crown as Court Clown-his clown, but it is more to keep my ear to the ground than out of loyalty."

Alexander and I nodded. It was smart. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

"I wish I knew what the princess thinks these days," Jollo continued wistfully. He sighed. "If only I could find Sing-Sing, Cassima's pet nightingale. I might be able to send the princess a message. As it is, I must wait for the end of her seclusion."

"Is there anything you can tell us about the vizier?" I asked.

Jollo chuckled darkly. "The vizier? Now there's a dangerous subject. His name is Abdul Alhazred. He came to the kingdom thirteen years ago. The king was fascinated by his knowledge, and his fine-sounding ideas. It didn't take long for Alhazred to convince the king to trust him with the minor problems of daily life. You see, Caliphim had a wife and a new daughter he wanted to spend time with. Alhazred became vizier."

"And now?" Alexander asked.

"Well, he's had his eye on Cassima since she was a young girl," Jollo answered, raising an eyebrow. "And she is the only thing between him and the throne."

I didn't like it, and neither did Alexander. "Do you think he means to harm her?"

"Oh, I honestly don't know," Jollo answered, shrugging lightly. "I think he'd rather keep her as wife, but whatever his plans for the princess, he will use her to his best advantage. That's his way."

"Perhaps he has charmed her," Alexander surmised darkly. "Perhaps she cares for him now."

I didn't believe a single word he said, and hopefully he didn't either. She didn't wish for him here for nothing.

"The vizier is capable of anything, and Cassima must be vulnerable and lonely right now," Jollo said as an argument in favor of Alexander's statement. But he went on. "Still, she has always instinctively distrusted him. Cassima has a good head on her shoulders. I'd be surprised if she's truly fallen for his words of love."

_There you go, Alexander,_ I thought rather bitterly. _If he believes there's no reason for Cassima to prefer him over you, you better believe it, too._

"Now I must return to the castle," Jollo told us, standing up. "Look, I don't want to arouse suspicion. I'll try to meet you here again later."

"Thank you for all your information," I thanked him. "Be careful, and we'll hope to see you again."

Jollo nodded to us, then put down his book and left the bookstore. Once he was gone, I nudged Alexander. "You hear that? There's hope yet. Now come on, let's go see if that magic map is for real."


	5. The Magic Map

Upon entering the Pawn Shop, my eye first fell on the man in the black cloak. Hmm. There certainly were a lot of black-cloaked gold-eyed men walking around the island. And it didn't appear that he was interested in the several curios that decorated the shop, from a giant stuffed gorilla to various magical odds and ends.

The owner stood up and gave us a friendly nod. "Good day!"

We smiled back, then walked up to the counter. As I took a mint from the candy dish, I asked, "Pardon me, merchant, but my friend and I heard from the ferryman that you might have a magic map of the Land of the Green Isles."

The owner started a little. Obviously no one had ever talked to him about it before. "Why, as a matter of fact I do! I keep it under the counter. It's been gathering dust so long that I nearly forgot about it." He reached under his desk and unfolded it for us to take a closer look.

"It was quite a few years ago, you see," he said, nodding. "The estate of a wealthy wizard fell into my hands when he died. It was useless magical junk, mostly. Which reminds me, I've still got some things of his in the back that I need to dump out."

He looked towards the back as he said his last sentence, then came back to his story. "Anyway, the magic map was the one true treasure of the lot. The wizard was quite old and feeble and had enchanted the map to aid in traveling. It is said that one need only desire to find themselves on an island depicted on the map to find oneself there. It is a very valuable map, as you can imagine. Unfortunately, no one is interested in traveling these days. It is far too dangerous with the current state of the kingdom."

Alexander eyed it with interest. "What would you take for the map?"

The merchant smiled. "I would normally want something magic in return, but since I am hardly overrun with prospective buyers, I would be willing to take anything of equal value in exchange."

I looked down at my diamond ring. I didn't know if it was real, but I took it off and offered it to him anyway. "Would you be willing to take my ring in exchange for the magic map?"

"Kit," Alexander started as the merchant examined the ring. He would have said more, but the merchant nodded, satisfied.

"She is a beautiful ring, miss. Are you sure you can part with it so easily?"

I looked down. "Well, the ring does mean a lot to me. It's one of the last reminders I have left that I even had a family. But still, there are more important things at stake now." I looked at Alexander as I finished, nodding. He was torn between gratitude and sorrow.

The merchant put my ring under his desk, where he kept the magic map. "Then you now own a magic map, Miss Kit. I will keep your ring out of sight for a few days. If you find anything else of great value in your travels, you can come back for your ring," he advised, raising his eyebrows. "Ah, and a warning about the map: it will only operate when you are out in the open, and within sight of the sea. The limitation had something to do with the teleport spell ingredients. You might try the beach."

I nodded, smiling. "Thank you. You're very kind to do that, and we'll remember about the map."

The merchant smiled as the cloaked man moved past us and stole a mint from the candy dish. He stuffed the mint into his mouth and wobbled unsteadily out of the shop.

"Now, I have another question," I said to the merchant. I fished the copper coin I'd found on the beach out of my pocket and showed it to him. "Is there any value to this copper coin?"

The merchant examined it with interest. "Most interesting. I have never seen a Daventry coin before, but it is copper, genuine enough. I might even find a buyer who is interested in foreign currency."

Alexander eyed me curiously. "I found it," I muttered, feeling very ashamed. It felt like I robbed him instead of picked a coin up off the ground.

"The items on the front counter are the only things in the store that I can let go for the price of one copper. You may make your choice from there," the merchant advised.

Alexander and I looked over the counter. Four items sat on the counter, surrounding the center of the desk. A tin nightingale with a winding mechanism, a moderate-sized paintbrush with thick, broad bristles, a long wooden flute, and a small tinderbox.

I looked over at Alexander. "I'm intrigued by the mechanical nightingale. Should we take that one?"

"All right," he agreed, nodding. "The mechanical nightingale, then, please," he said to the merchant.

The merchant picked up the nightingale and handed it to him. "Very well. The coin is well spent. Remember, this is a pawn shop. I am always willing to take back my own goods in trade."

"Thank you," we chorused, then we stepped aside to let the merchant carry a pot filled with detritus outside. It must have been the things he remembered to dump out while explaining about the map.

Alexander and I walked outside and nodded to the merchant again. Then, once he was inside, I started sorting through the pot he dumped the things into.

I could feel Alexander's eyes on me. "Are you homeless?" he asked.

"No, why do you ask?"

"You're going through trash," he reminded me.

"Oh yeah, sorry about the coin. I know in a way that's yours and I stole it, so…I'm sorry."

"Where did you find it anyway?" I could tell by his tone that he wasn't mad, but curious.

"In a box on the beach. Hello, what's this?" Standing up, I held up my find for Alexander to look at. It was a small empty bottle labeled "Ink".

"That's strange," he said, looking closer at the bottle. "Must be an old ink container."

Carefully, I opened it and unhooked my necklace. Tenderly, I dipped the chain in and pulled it back out to examine. When Alexander could see nothing between my fingers, he was, in a word, astonished.

"It's invisible ink," we said at the same time.

A few moments later, the chain was visible again. "Not very long-lasting," I said, corking the bottle and stowing it carefully in my satchel. "Better save the rest for when we might need it," I added, putting my necklace back on.

He nodded once. "Well! Should we test out our new map?"

I gestured over my shoulder with my thumb. "To the beach, then."


	6. The Strange, Wondrous Isles of the Land

Alexander and I headed back to the beach where I took the magic map from my pocket and unrolled it to look at. Drawn artistically and very accurately on the canvas were four islands, oriented around the edges of the map in something similar to a semicircle. The Isle of the Crown was shaped curiously like a dog's head. The next island in proximity was the Isle of Wonder, shaped like a comma. At the top of the map was the biggest island, the Isle of the Sacred Mountain. On the other side, due east of the Isle of the Crown, was the smaller Isle of the Beast.

"Hmm…where to first?" I asked Alexander.

He gazed at the map, then looked sideways at me, lightly. "Ladies first."

I chuckled as I looked back down at the map, then said, "How about the Isle of the Sacred Mountain? I must admit, I'm curious."

"All right," he said. "Sounds good to me. He said we needed to desire to be on that island, didn't he? So all we have to do is just wish to be there…right?"

"Only one way to find out," I answered as I concentrated on the Isle of the Sacred Mountain. Alexander held the other end of the map as we were suddenly drawn into thin air. I felt a curious pulling sensation tear through me, like someone was trying to pull a wire out of the top of my head, then we landed with a spring on a small beach.

And when I say small, I mean _small_. If you wanted to lay down a towel and suntan, there'd only be room for you and maybe a parasol. In front of us was the ever-growing ocean that separated the islands, and behind us was a cliff that seemed to touch the sky. If there really was a sacred mountain on this island, it must have been beyond the cliff plateau where we couldn't see.

"Not much of an island," Alexander remarked, walking around the small beach. His attention fell on a brightly colored flower near the rock and he bent over to pick it up. I had the feeling he was going to say "Look what I found" but he didn't get a word out owing to the need to plug his nose and shut his eyes tightly. "Ugh!" he groaned when he finally cleared the scent out of his nose. "I thought flowers were supposed to be more…fragrant."

"Give it to me," I grimaced, holding out a hand for the flower. Holding it between two fingers, I stowed it in a pocket of my satchel and closed it firmly. Then my attention fell on a large black feather on the other side of the beach. It was too big to be a raven's feather, or any kind of bird's feather.

I walked over to it and picked it up, stowing it in my satchel as well. "This is a pretty nice feather. Well, I don't think we'll find anything else here. Why don't we try another island?"

"You're right," he nodded. "So where to?"

Once again, I unrolled the map and we both looked at it. "Hmm…I picked last time. You want to pick?"

The prince of Daventry looked down at the map for a minute, then looked at me. "I have to admit, I'm a little curious about the Isle of Wonder. Were you set on another island, or do you mind if we go there?"

"Great idea!" I agreed, inwardly weak with gratitude. I was almost desperately hoping he'd say that. "The Isle of Wonder it is."

So we concentrated on the Isle of Wonder, and with the same pulling feeling, we disappeared from the beach.

The beach of the Isle of Wonder was a bit more spacious than the beach at the Isle of the Sacred Mountain. A small oyster bed lay to our right, with all but one oyster asleep. Behind us was an expansive forest, maybe a swamp. I couldn't really tell, the forest was too thick to see beyond.

Alexander walked over to the oyster bed, looking down at the oyster that was awake. "Why aren't you asleep like the other oysters?"

The little oyster moaned. "I'm so weary, but I can't sleep! I have a terrible ache in my mouth."

An idea occurred to me. "Maybe I could read to you. Always knocks me out if I'm having trouble sleeping."

"Hey, that would be great!" the oyster agreed. Alexander sat on a small rock in front of the oyster bed as I sat cross-legged in front of the oyster, pulling out the book I'd gotten from the bookshop on the Isle of the Crown.

I opened the book to the first page and started reading, my eyebrows traveling higher and higher up my forehead as I did so. "'Two dulcimas raised to the degree of forty half-dulcimas divided into equal parts by the third of a cackle of grouse geese, put over the result of ten finemackels, albeit small finemackels, stretched over the total of fifty-three and an eighth of wildebeest lard…" What kind of book was this anyway?

A boring one, I was quickly answered with when the oyster yawned widely. Inside his mouth was a large pearl. Quickly, Alexander snatched the pearl from the oyster's mouth.

The oyster repeatedly opened and closed his mouth, realizing that the pain was gone. "Hey! You fixed my mouth! It feels great! I…I…" He didn't get to finish on account of drifting off into peaceful slumber at that moment. How cute.

Something in the water caught my eye. It was long, and pink in color. Since it was drifting in the shallows, it was safe to just bend over with one foot in the water and pick up the object. Upon closer inspection, we saw that it was a string of letters that spelled out "Where are you going".

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Odd. This sentence is incomplete."

_Not where I'm from,_I wanted to say. Complete sentences where I came from didn't exactly fit the Oxford definition of "complete". "Well, who knows?" I mused, putting the string of letters in my satchel. "Maybe an incomplete sentence will come in handy."

"All right. Shall we?" he asked, gesturing towards the forest.

I started to walk to him when he stopped. "Someone's coming," he whispered.

And yes, someone was coming. Five someones to be precise. Five little men, four with facial hair, came trooping towards us. Anyone else might look at them and think two of the seven dwarfs were lost in the forest, but these guys were quite different.

They stood in a line in front of us and I was able to take a closer look at them. The one in front, like the others, was clad in medieval-style clothing and maybe two feet tall, but unlike the others, he had an enormous nose with a clothespin clamped around it. The dwarf behind him had gigantic ears with cotton balls stuffed in them. The third in line was the roundest, and had the biggest mouth I'd ever seen. And I mean that literally, his lips were as long as his face. The penultimate dwarf had very big hands, covered with yellow latex gloves, and the last one had his eyes closed, but I had a feeling if he opened them we'd see eyes as big as watermelons.

"Five fierce guards of the isle we be!" they chanted in unison. "Watch for a foreign pair, said he! With ears and nose, tongue, hands, and eyes, its nature cannot be disguised! If pair it be, then pair it dies!"

Someone must have sent word around the islands and warned them that we were coming. Alhazred or someone in his employ. I whispered in Alexander's ear, "Hide somewhere and don't let anyone see you!"

Quickly, he ducked behind a large rock on the beach as I pawed through my satchel. The first gnome stepped forward as I did so.

"Old Tom Trow, smell your smell," the other four commanded. "Do that which you do so well!"

The gnome removed the clothespin and the second it was off, I held out the flower of stench Alexander found on the beach of the Isle of the Sacred Mountain. Hoping he wouldn't think someone was holding the flower, I held my breath as the gnome took a whiff, then put the clothespin back on.

"Tom Trow I am, that's all I'll be," the gnome sniffled. "My nose knows all on land and sea. A flower of stench has washed ashore, a flower, 'tis all and nothing more."

One down, four to go. I put away the flower as Tom Trow walked to the back and the next one stepped forward. I silently motioned to Alexander that I needed the mechanical nightingale as the gnomes chanted, "Listen, hark you, Grovenor! Do your duty as you swore! With your ears, please tell us more!"

The gnome took out the cotton balls as I started winding the nightingale as softly as I could. There was a chance these gnomes weren't too bright and wouldn't recognize the sound of a tin nightingale as opposed to a real one, but I wasn't feeling like taking that risk.

The gnome danced as the mechanical nightingale sang its soft, tinny tune, then when the music had finished playing, he put the cotton balls back in his ears. "A nose is not a way to spy!" he declared. "My ears cannot be told a lie! A nightingale is all there be, no man is near and so say me!"

Grovenor marched to the back, like Tom Trow before him, and the next gnome stepped forward. "Taste, Grump Frump, that we might know whether friend or whether foe!"

I almost laughed, but stopped myself in time. Grump Frump, what a silly name. But at least tricking him was easy. As he unrolled a tongue from his mouth that was at least a foot long, I delicately placed the mint from the pawn shop candy dish on it. He ate it up, rubbed his stomach and swallowed the minty juice. "Grump Frump knows a tasty treat. It matters not what others bleat. No danger is this one so sweet!"

Next was the gnome with monumental hands. He removed his gloves as I pawed through my satchel, barely listening to the gnomes chant, "Trilly Dilly, use your hands. Is it beast or is it man?"

The second the gloves were off, I held out the rabbit's foot I'd gotten from the ferryman. The good luck was already starting to come through as Trilly Dilly scratched his head and put his gloves back on.

"Be all you mad?" he reprimanded the other gnomes. "What aileth thee? A bunny can't trill merrily! A hare does not at all taste sweet! A rabbit here is all we greet." And with that, he moved to the back of the line.

The last gnome, the one with the giant eyes, stepped forward as I took out the bottle of invisible ink. Quickly, I uncapped it as the gnomes sang, "Old Bill Batter, never fatter! Vision can resolve this matter! Look you now and end this chatter!"

And once they'd stopped talking, I poured the remainder of the invisible ink over myself. I held my breath as Bill Batter opened his enormous blue eyes, looked around, and turned with anger to the other gnomes. "By all that's beauteous, fair and sightly, four morons do I sleep with nightly! There's nothing there at all, I say! Enough of this, let's now away!"

I didn't release the breath I was holding until the gnomes had trooped away towards the forest and out of sight. Alexander rose from his hiding spot and nodded. "Good work, Kit."

"Thanks," I sighed, handing him back the mechanical nightingale. "That's kind of promising, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Well, if Alhazred is sending an emissary to the other islands to keep a lookout for a foreign pair and dispose of them on sight, then he must see you as a serious threat," I told him as we walked to another sector of the beach. "Which means maybe he doesn't want Princess Cassima to know you're here."

The light dawned in his brown eyes as he understood what I was getting at. "Which means if Cassima knew I was here, she would probably demand to see me, if not call off the wedding. That _is _promising."

"See?" I elbowed him. "I told you there was hope."

He smiled as we reached the end of the beach. It was a small cul-de-sac of land, with dozens of books scattered around the place. Bees buzzed around a couple of stacks, but we paid no attention to them. "Perhaps we can find a rare book here," he speculated.

I reached a hand out to examine one of the books in the pile closest to us, but when my fingertips were inches from the book, a very large bookworm squeezed out from between two books, shaking his reading glasses at me reprovingly. "What do you think _you're _doing?" he demanded.

I leapt back in shock as Alexander cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "We didn't know these books had an owner. We're in need of a rare book."

Bookworm harrumphed. "No owner? All books have owners, my good man and lady. And this book owner-Bookworm to you-wouldn't part with one of his books for anything!"

"Is there nothing we can do to…pay for it?" I offered hesitantly. Chances were good we couldn't tempt him with anything we had.

He paused, pursing his lips as he thought. "Hmm, let's see. Do you have an itinerant clause?"

Alexander and I exchanged stupefied looks. I raised my hands in a shrug at him. "I guess that's a no," he said to Bookworm. "No clauses at all, I'm afraid."

One of the books in a stack opened, and a very large mouse popped out of it. "As an exception, you always should!" He laughed before going back into his book.

Another book opened, but this one contained a rabbit which made a very strange sound. Just like the mouse, he vanished once he was done.

Bookworm rolled his eyes. "Don't mind Oxymoron and Diphthong. They're fairly limited grammatical principles, you know. Hmm, let's see. A marsh pig that does taxes?"

Owing to his initial request for an itinerant clause, this marsh pig was probably not a real marsh pig that did taxes. In any case, we had nothing like that. I shook my head at Alexander, who in turn shook his head at Bookworm. "Uh, no. I'm afraid not."

"A dangling participle?"

(If you don't know what a dangling participle is, watch any of the Star Wars movies. Dangling participles is common practice for one of the most well-known characters.)

I shrugged at Alexander. "Fresh out," he answered.

"A purple fiddlewhacker?"

Trying not to laugh, I hiked my shoulders up as high as they'd go, displayed empty palms to Alexander, and raised both eyebrows. Who knows what one of those is?

"Uh no, don't think so, sorry," the prince apologized.

"An idiosyncrasy, perhaps?"

I shook my head. Doubtless Alexander had plenty of idiosyncrasies, but none that he could give to Bookworm. "'Fraid not."

"Hah!" Bookworm exclaimed. "Then what good are you?" He flew back into his books, leaving me and Alexander to figure out what to do next.

"Well," I sighed, "let's keep looking."

We went back to the beach, heading for the woods for the first time. Sure enough, it was a swamp, with an old log on one side of the path, and a milkweed bush at the foot of a large dogwood tree. I might not have known the tree was dogwood if the face of a dog hadn't been visible in the bark.

It was almost ridiculous the number of puns one could associate with a dogwood tree.

To our right was the swamp, a murky collection of slime with an odd smell and a long branch sticking out of it in the middle. The position of the stick was odd, as if the stick were standing arrogantly with its small branches acting as "arms" on its "hips". Seriously, you'd think the same thing if you saw it. _What's this stick pouting at?_

"The path goes on," Alexander noted, heading past the dogwood tree. "I wonder what's at the end."

"Let's find out."

Sure enough, the path continued out of the swamp into a little garden Lewis Carroll would have been proud of. To the left of us was a collection of baby's tears, some tomato vines, and up against the stone wall on the other side was a tree of grapes and clinging vines along the wall itself. On the right was a bunch of snapdragons, a little wooden table, a bunch of sunflowers against the wall, and in the corner of the garden was a chair.

The plants that had my attention, though, were the arrangement of iceberg lettuce just beyond the tomatoes. _Might be handy to have one of those,_I thought to myself as I picked one up. Quickly, I dropped it into my satchel and waved my hands as though burned. "Crikey, was that cold!" I gasped.

"Why did you…?" Alexander started as I hurried back towards the beach.

"Call it a feeling. Now let's get out of here!"

On the beach, I unrolled the map as Alexander took the other end. "Let's try the Isle of the Beast, we haven't been there yet."

"All right," the prince agreed.

We concentrated on the small island and in the blink of an eye we were in a wooded area with the ocean stretching out in front of us. This beach didn't feel much like a beach, but I didn't mind.

When I turned around, I could see a little creature dangling from a tree branch over the path. It was an odd little beast, with the lower half of the torso a possum's legs and tail, and the upper half a lizard-like (or maybe even dragon-like) body.

Was this thing the beast for which the island was named?

I decided to ignore the creature for the time being, since I could feel the iceberg lettuce in my satchel melting a little. So instead I advanced down the path, around the collection of trees, only to stop in front of a pond in the middle of the path.

This was no ordinary pond. Steam rose from the water in heavy clouds, and the water itself was bubbling with magical intensity. Maybe the iceberg lettuce would cool it down.

Lifting the head of lettuce out of my bag, I tossed it in and waited on tenterhooks as Alexander joined me. Slowly, the clouds of steam diminished to a little puff, and the water stopped bubbling.

We stared at the pond in mild shock for a moment, then I whistled. "It can be pretty scary sometimes how accurate my intuition is."

"Welcome to my world," Alexander sighed, still gazing at the pond.

Cautiously, I tested the water with a fingertip. I withdrew it almost immediately, yelping a little. "Huh. Maybe I should have grabbed two of those things, it's still pretty hot."

"We'll have to run across, then," he diagnosed, starting across the water as fast as his legs could carry him. "Yes, that is hot!" he called back. "Do you want to stay there while I go ahead and look around?"

"As if!" I shouted as I tore across the water. I'd never walked on burning hot coal before, but I'd guess what I just did came pretty close to the experience. Never in my life had water been that hot.

Hanging down from a tree on the other side of the pond was an old hunter's lamp. The shape was very typical, like what you'd find in the Cave of Wonders. Alexander watched it with interest. "You think there might be a genie in there?"

I shrugged. "Who knows?" I lifted it off the branch, then offered it to him. "Care to do the honors, your highness?"

Sighing minimally at the official address, Alexander took the lamp and rubbed it experimentally. Nothing happened.

"Too bad," I sighed. "Well, no harm in taking it anyway."

"Perhaps we can trick someone else into thinking it's a genie's lamp," he mused as we walked further down the garden path. It wasn't long before I got the strange feeling of being watched.

Alexander stopped when we heard a voice call to us, "Come on over here and see what I'm doing with these flowers. Never mind that stone fella on top of the gate. He won't hurt you any, he's just there to scare you."

Glancing to our left, we saw a lovely little garden beyond a stone wall that had an opening on the path. Just beyond the stone wall we could see a man on his knees digging through a mud pile with some garden tools.

I looked up to see an archer made of stone perched on one side of the gate, a stone arrow aimed right at me and Alexander. This didn't feel right. I cleared my throat to get the gardener's attention. "Uh, hi. Were you talking to us just now?"

The gardener lifted his head and I could see quite vividly the color of his eyes. Bright gold. "Do you see anyone else here? Just come on over! I'll tell you my life's history if you still wanna hear it."

Something glinted at me and I barely paid attention to the gardener's call as I moved towards the other end of the gate. I stopped moving, though, when I caught more movement out of the corner of my eye.

The archer had shifted position on the gate so the arrow could still be trained on me. Experimentally, I took a step backward, my eyes widening when the archer followed my movement. If my eyes weren't going on me completely, I'd swear the archer could actually move.

Stooping, I picked up the brick laying inches from my hand and walked back to Alexander, my eyes never leaving the statue. "You saw the archer moving, right?" I asked him in an undertone.

"Yes, I did," he answered, not bothering to keep his voice low. "Does that mean we shouldn't go past the gate?"

"For now. If he was following me walking across the path, there's a good chance he might try to shoot at us if we walk past him. So let's just go back."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the gardener look up. "You aren't gonna listen to me, are you? Well, we'll just see about that." He got to his feet and leapt up and down before disappearing.

So Alexander and I returned to the beach where the odd creature was still dangling from the tree branch. Alexander looked at it, then chuckled. "Hello, friend. Aren't you an odd-looking little fellow."

"Am not!" the creature snapped. "Odd-looking YOU are!"

We started. "Oh!" the prince gasped. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't realize you could speak."

"Speak not?" the creature sniffed. "Funny is! Speech I am and nothing but!" It continued to watch us, swinging carelessly from the branch.

My hand suddenly collided with Alexander's shoulder. "Um…you notice something odd about his speech patterns?"

He looked at me. "Oh!" he realized. "This must be the dangling participle Bookworm mentioned." He turned back to the creature and cleared his throat. "Pardon me. Would you be interested in this?" he inquired, holding out the magic map. He was probably trying to coax the little guy into coming with us.

"That I like not!" the dangling participle contested. "Take it away do!"

I thought for a second, then grinned. "I have an idea." Going into my satchel, I took out the incomplete sentence we found on the Isle of Wonder and showed it to the dangling participle. "Hey, this sentence doesn't have an ending. Do you think you could finish it?"

"Where are you going?" the dangling participle repeated. "Where are you going? Know it I do!" it declared. "Where are you going TO!"

Alexander raised his eyebrows. "Not bad."

"Me or him?"

"Both," he nodded. "I never would've thought of that."

"Yeah, you would," I disagreed. "So how about it?"

"Like you I do!" the dangling participle proclaimed. "Go I with you!"

So Alexander stepped up, lifted the creature off the branch, and I opened my satchel. But apparently, it didn't like the idea of traveling in a bag and instead slipped into Alexander's suit coat. He danced for a second, then we shrugged at each other.

"Well, let's take him home."


	7. The Isle of Wonder

We took the dangling participle back to the Isle of Wonder and headed for the section where Bookworm and all his books lived. Smartly, I tapped on the pile of books again and Bookworm popped out instantly. "Do you have anything interesting yet?"

Oxymoron took the opportunity to appear. "A regular abnormality?"

"I think we do have something to interest you," I answered, grinning as Alexander took the dangling participle out of his suit coat and set him at the foot of the book pile.

"Coming home I am to," the creature declared.

Bookworm was, in a word, overjoyed. "There you are, you naughty boy! I told you not to leave the island!"

"Glad I am seeing you too," the dangling participle responded as it crawled into the books.

"A most solemn celebration!" Oxymoron declared as Diphthong showed up to contribute another weird sound to the conversation. Then they were gone.

"So, you found my dangling participle," Bookworm sighed to us. "I suppose I'll have to give you something. Uh, let's see now. Was it a rare book you wanted?"

"Yes, sir," Alexander nodded.

"Well, then, none of _these_ will do," he sniffed, indicating the piles of books out in the open. "They've been sitting in the sun far too long and must be well-cooked by now." Quickly, he squeezed himself into the book pile and reemerged with a book in one of his hands. "This one is far more rare. A delicious little tidbit," he promised us.

"Thanks," I smiled as Alexander took the novel. "So, what have we got?"

He opened the book and showed it to me. "It looks like a book of riddles. But there's one missing."

Sure enough, one of the pages had been torn from the book. "Kind of makes you wonder what the riddle was."

"Or what the answer was," he added. Then his attention strayed towards the minimal foliage on the side, away from the beach. He walked towards it, and I could see his attention was on a spider's web in a small tree. A big spider was sitting in the middle of the web, and all I could see was black.

As I walked closer, I could hear a sultry female voice speaking. "Hiya, gorgeous. Ooh, what a luscious-looking hunk of flesh you are!"

Never before had I heard a spider hitting on a person. Hopefully, you won't have to, either.

Alexander furrowed his brow in confusion. "Uh, thank you, I guess. Who are you?"

The spider laughed, and by now I could clearly make out the red hourglass-shaped mark on her belly. Uh-oh.

"How charming of you to pretend not to know! I'm Black Widow, of course. The femme fatale of all femme fatales! Know what I mean?" she chuckled, and I could actually see her winking at him. For some reason, a chill ran down my spine when I saw.

"You know, I was just thinking it was time I found my fiftieth-uh, another husband," she corrected herself. "It would be quite a horror-I mean, an honor to have me as a bride. Just look at my beautiful weaving. It's so light, so delicate-you'll never want to leave my little nest."

If I were Alexander, I would have said no from the start. Thankfully, he was a smart bloke. "Hmm. It is a lovely web, but my heart is elsewhere, I'm afraid," he apologized.

"Drat!" Black Widow cursed before clearing her throat. "I mean, the loss is yours. I'm sure you'll change your mind once you consider the advantages."

"As if," I muttered under my breath. Then my eyes found a stray thread at the base of the web. With a little grin, I pulled on the thread.

"Hey! Don't touch that thread!" Black Widow demanded.

I snatched my hand away just as she scuttled down to it. While she fussed with the sticky gossamer, Alexander grabbed at a corner of the web, where a scrap of paper sat. We stepped away from the web to examine the paper. On it was a single word "Love".

A brief gust of wind flew across the island, blowing the scrap of paper out of Alexander's hands. But it was easy enough to remember what was written on it. "Um…I don't think we'll find anything else useful here. I don't know about you, but I bet the pawn shop merchant might think this valuable," I told the prince, holding up the large pearl we'd gotten from the oyster.

"You want to go get your ring back," he surmised, the statement actually half-sounding like a question.

"Be nice, yeah," I chuckled, heading for the beach.

"Well, then, let's go."

When we arrived back on the Isle of the Crown, we stopped at the fork in the road upon noticing a nightingale perched on one of the tree's branches. The bird sang her soft, sweet tune as she regarded us, but made no move to fly closer. Clearly the shy type.

Well, of course she was, she was a _bird_. Any kind of bird was the shy type.

"I just had an idea," Alexander remarked, looking up at the nightingale. "Do you remember Jollo mentioning a nightingale?"

"You think this might be Princess Cassima's nightingale?" I asked, looking from the nightingale to him. "Well, what would you do about it if she were?"

Taking the mechanical nightingale from his pocket, he wound it and placed it on the ground in front of the tree. As the mechanical nightingale sang its sweet, tinny tune, the real nightingale cocked her head and listened. After a momentary pause, she flew down to a lower branch. She regarded us curiously, almost as if pondering if we weren't so bad.

I looked over at Alexander with mild surprise. "Good thinking, Alexander."

"Thank you," he smiled, leading me into the village. "Wait…was that sign there before?" He walked past the pawn shop and bookstore to examine the wall dividing the village and the noble's housing. Sure enough, a poster had been stuck on the wall.

I leaned closer to examine the proclamation. "'Citizens rejoice! Announcing the royal wedding and coronation of Vizier Abdul Alhazred and Princess Cassima! For reasons of security, the wedding will not be open to the public. Long live the new King and Queen of the Land of the Green Isles!'"

"That's enough," he snapped, his hands rolling into fists at his side. "I know what it says. Pretty soon, Cassima will be some other man's wife."

I was a little struck by his sudden flare of anger, but then my eyes softened and I rested a hand on his shoulder. "You're looking at this the wrong way, Alexander. This is a good thing."

"Is it?" he growled, his eyes still locked on the proclamation. "I'm afraid I don't follow, Kit."

I turned Alexander to face me and smiled encouragingly at him. "If he's rushing things along, it means he's getting antsy. He knows you're on the island, and he's trying to finish things before we find out something he doesn't want us to find out, especially if it has some connection to the princess. We're backing him into a corner, and he's finally realizing it."

He watched me for a second, then turned back towards the bookshop. "It also means things are about to get much harder."

"Well, that's why we have each other," I responded, walking up the steps and taking the doorknob. I glanced back at him to see him eyeing me oddly. "As partners," I added icily.

"Oh, of course," he nodded once, following me inside. Then he presented the riddle book to the merchant. "We found this rare book and thought of your offer."

Ali took the volume and opened it, chuckling at one of the riddles he found inside. "Very interesting. Oh, it is a wonderful riddle book. Riddles are much more marketable than spells these days. I guess people believe more in mirth than in magic," he sighed. He set the riddle book down and took the spellbook off its stand. "Here is the spell book you wanted, and a fair trade it is, I must say. Enjoy it."

Alexander took the book and smiled at him. "I certainly hope so. We shall see how rusty my spell-casting truly is." He opened the book to the first page. On it were the ingredients and instructions for the "Magic Paint Spell". On the next page was the "Make Rain Spell". On the third and final page was the "Charming a Creature of the Night Spell".

"Interesting spells," I remarked.

"Yes. Well, perhaps they will come in handy."

"Okay, I think it's time I got my ring back," I declared, heading out of the bookstore to the pawn shop next door. Alexander followed, and we stopped when we noticed an old man in a black cloak arguing with the pawn shop owner.

"Your candy dish is empty!"

"I am sorry, sir," the owner apologized, "but I have no more mints. Somebody has eaten them all."

"Well, get some more, then!" he snapped.

"I fear that is impossible. Without the ferry, I can no longer get imports from the other islands. And we do not grow mint extract on the Isle of the Crown," he reminded the old man.

The customer was fuming. "Ooh, I hate not getting what I want!" He stormed out of the shop, but not before I caught the strange eye color.

Giant pearl in hand, I walked up to the merchant's desk and showed it to him. "Excuse me. Might this be valuable enough to ransom back my ring?"

He examined the pearl with wonder in his black eyes. "I have never seen such a perfect pearl," he whistled. "Certainly you can have your ring back."

He gave me back the diamond ring and I slid it without pause onto my finger. It almost felt like the ring was happy to be home. "I'm grateful to you for not selling it. I'm a bit attached to it, I'm afraid."

The merchant nodded. "Of course you are. You would be cold-hearted if you felt any differently. I am happy to see a treasure back with its rightful owner."

I smiled as Alexander joined us at the counter. He held out the mechanical nightingale. "Would you mind if I traded this in?"

"Of course," he answered cordially, taking the mechanical nightingale and replacing it on the counter. "Please, choose something in exchange for the items on the counter."

We looked at the items, then he glanced at me. "What do you think?"

"Well, what would you like?" I asked in return. "I think it's your turn to pick."

He looked over the items again. "How about the flute?"

"Can you play it?" I asked.

"Yes. Can you?"

"Sure. All right, let's get the flute."

Nodding, the pawn shop owner handed Alexander the flute. "Very good, you two. May its music always be sweet. Feel free to trade it back at any time."

"Thank you," we chorused. Then we walked back to the fork in the road where the nightingale was perched in the tree. "Alexander, I have a theory."

"The nightingale?" he asked, looking first at the bird, then at me.

"Right. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I probably am," he agreed. "Perhaps we can communicate with Princess Cassima with this bird."

"Right!" I nodded. "You should try offering the bird your ring." His royal insignia ring was possibly the only item he had that Cassima would recognize on sight. If she saw the ring, she'd know he was here.

"I'll try." He stepped closer to the branch on which the nightingale was perched just as a snake wound its way around the tree trunk. Anyone else might have hoped that the bird would take flight before the snake noticed it, but I was too busy paying attention to the snake's eyes.

Alexander displayed a palm, on which his ring sat. The bird regarded him for a second, then swept down and snatched the ring from his hand. Then she flew off to the castle.

The maiden held out her hands when the nightingale flew up to her window. "Sing-Sing, what have you got in your mouth, my pretty?" She examined the bird's find and gasped. "A gold ring? Sing-Sing, where did you get this?" Around the body of the ring was an inscription which she squinted to read. "'Realm of Daventry'. But this is Alexander's ring!" she realized. "Oh my soul, he must be here! Sing-Sing, I wish you could tell me what you've seen! Is he really here, then? On this very island? Oh, if only I could leave this castle as easily as you!"

She put down the ring and her hand flew up to her hair. "Take this ribbon, Sing-Sing. If you know where he is, return it to him." Detaching one of her hair ribbons, she offered it to the nightingale. "Please, be careful, Alexander," she whispered, staring off into the distance. "It is so dangerous, and yet, I could not wish you away."

A couple of minutes later, the nightingale returned with a red velvet hair ribbon in her beak. She deposited the ribbon at Alexander's feet, then flew back to her perch.

Alexander stooped to pick up the gift. He stared at it for a second, then sighed wistfully, "Or am I merely wishing it were so?"

"Say again?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him quizzically.

"Nothing," he responded quickly. "Shall we?"

"Okay," I agreed, walking with him to the beach. "Is it your turn to pick an island, or mine?"

"Why should that matter?" he asked, crinkling his brow in confusion.

"I'm just trying to be polite," I answered. "Just trying to make things even, you know, so one's not leading the other or anything like that."

"Oh. Well, why don't you pick?"

"Okay! How about back to the Isle of Wonder?" I suggested, pointing to said island on the magic map. "We never saw what was behind that speckled gate in the garden, did we?"

"No. Let's check it out," he smiled at me.

Once we made it to the garden on the Isle of Wonder, Alexander looked at the one rotten tomato and leaned over to pick him up.

The tomato instantly protested. "Hey! What do you think you're doing there?! Get your hands off me! Hey!"

He stowed Rotten Tomato in his inventory and shrugged at me. "You never know. One of those might come in handy."

"Now you're talking," I grinned, looking over at the chair in the corner of the garden. On it was a teacup I'd never noticed before.

I walked towards the chair, past the snapdragons and wallflowers, to take the cup. It was a lovely little white teacup, made of delicate porcelain. Pretty in its own simple way.

When I straightened, I could see a little black creature on the wall next to me and leaned over to examine it. Upon closer inspection, I found that I could see through the wall. Beyond the gate was expansive land colored red in a checkerboard pattern, the "black" squares represented by dark red.

"Whoa," I exclaimed, leaning away from the little black creature. "Alexander, check this out."

He joined me at the wall and I pointed at the creature. "Look at that."

"What about-" he started.

"Look closely," I exhorted, gesticulating a little. When he leaned over to look at it, I asked, "Can you see the land beyond the wall?"

"Yes, I can," he realized. "Perhaps this is a hole-in-the-wall."

The wallflowers all bunched together as the snapdragons moved threateningly, making snapping noises. They must have been quite protective of the shy wallflowers.

Then light dawned in Alexander's eyes. He stood beside the wall flowers and addressed them courteously, "May I have this dance?"

"Oh my!" the wallflowers giggled.

Taking out the flute we borrowed from the pawn shop, Alexander began to play a sweet, rhythmic dance which the wallflowers swayed to, the snapdragons contributing their own beat to the melody. ( watch?v=Q9_yaMcME8Q)

As the flowers danced, I covertly eyed the hole-in-the-wall and before it had the chance to slip behind the dancing wallflowers, I snatched it off the garden wall. I was thinking I'd have to put it in a secure pocket of my satchel to keep it from escaping, but the little creature sat docilely in my hand, accepting its capture. So I just put it away.

"Why don't we see that land and who lives there?" he suggested, gesturing to the speckled gate.

"Why not," I proclaimed, resting both hands on the gate to push it open. With Alexander behind me, we crossed the threshold and looked around in wonder. What I saw through the hole-in-the-wall was only a fraction of the expansive plains beyond. Arranged just like a chessboard (or checkerboard, same thing), there were rising hills and falling valleys with dark and lighter red squares everywhere. In front of us was a small marble staircase with a white chess knight on one side and a similar red knight on the other.

As Alexander and I started to cross into this unknown land, the giant chess pieces sprang to life, blocking our way. "Checkmate!" the red knight declared. "Only chess pieces allowed in Chessboard Land!"

So it was a chessboard instead of a checkerboard. But then again, one could easily have assumed so from the knight pieces.

"That's right," the white knight agreed. "Humans aren't allowed in and never will be. Stay out!"

They hopped back into their places as two more chess pieces came bounding in our direction. They were both queen pieces, both life-sized like the knights, and both different colors. The red queen stood by the red knight and the white queen by the white knight.

The queens faced each other. "I must insist, Your Highness," the Red Queen declared, "I shall send the lump of coal to the vizier and the princess as a present for their wedding, and that's the end of it!"

I resisted the urge to make an Alice in Wonderland reference as the White Queen pouted, "And I suppose you'll leave me with only the stupid spoiled egg to send, Your Highness? I want to impress the new King and Queen of the realm as much as you do! As queen of this island, I have every right to that lump of coal!"

Alexander was silent beside me as the Red Queen frowned at her. "Who isn't queen of this isle? The lump of coal is in my possession, and therefore I shall do as I please with it. Besides, there's nothing wrong with that spoiled egg." I tried not to snort at this.

The White Queen wasn't convinced, either. "The egg, though delightfully spoiled, is not nearly as valuable as the lump of coal and you know it. Your Highness always got to carry the Singing Stone. It's not fair that you get the coal, too!" she whined.

Now the Red Queen was all business. "_That_ doesn't count. The Singing Stone was stolen by that horrid Beast! I should get to keep the coal just because my stone was stolen."

My ears twitched at the news of the stolen Singing Stone. Something the ferryman said came back to me. The islands were apparently feuding because of stolen property. This couldn't be the extent of it. Little squabbles over trinkets like this?

But then again, what did I know? These "trinkets" were probably old and very dear to their owners.

I was so caught up in my thoughts, hearing the queens addressing us was a bit of a surprise. "Excuse me, my good man and lady," the Red Queen cleared her throat, "but could you settle an argument for us?"

"Which of us should get to carry the coal and which the egg?" the White Queen inquired. "Remember, white is the color of deserving truth and virtue."

The Red Queen turned angrily to face the other queen. "Quiet, Your Highness, and let them make up their own minds! I, for one, shall be more proper, and not even mention the fact that red is the color of love."

Being a younger sister, I was all too aware of what was going on here. Judging from the look in Alexander's eye when he looked sideways at me, he must have had a sibling too.

"Majesties," I started as graciously as possible, "this is really a dispute you need to solve yourselves."

"Perhaps one of you could be gracious and allow the other the lump of coal," Alexander suggested.

"What a ridiculously stupid idea!" the White Queen harrumphed.

"Quite ludicrous," the Red Queen agreed.

They turned back to face each other, united for the first time in their contempt. "They were a lot of help, weren't they?" the White Queen snorted.

"Oh, yes," the Red Queen responded, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "obviously a man and lady of high intelligence."

My eyebrow twitched as the queens turned and headed back, the Red Queen dropping a scarf on her way. "The lump of coal goes much better with my gown anyway," she proclaimed. "Black and red are imperial colors."

"That's the silliest thing I ever heard!" the White Queen declared. "Red does not go with anything, being much too self-conscious! White is the perfect accompaniment to any color!"

I shook my head as Alexander looked at the scarf the Red Queen had dropped. Kneeling, he bent over and picked it up. "It seems the Red Queen dropped a scarf," he noted.

"The Red Queen's always dropping her scarves," the red knight answered. "She thinks it's fashionable. Keep it, and consider yourself proud."

I shrugged. "I'll take it." Alexander handed it to me and, feeling silly, I swept it around my shoulders. "How do I look?"

The prince chuckled as he headed for the speckled gate. "I don't think there's much else we can do here."

I nodded in agreement as we headed out of the garden and into the swamp. Then I snapped my fingers, remembering something. "Can I see the spellbook for a second?" I asked him.

"All right," he agreed, taking out the book and handing it to me. I opened it to the first page, where the "Magic Paint Spell" was written out and looked at the ingredients. _Water from the River Styx…Black horse feather…Swamp ooze._

"Aha," I grinned, handing him back the spellbook. "Thanks. If I'm not mistaken, we're next to a swamp."

He nodded while opening the book to see what I was talking about. As I took out the small teacup I found in the garden, light dawned in his eyes. "Oh, you want to cast the Magic Paint Spell."

"It wouldn't hurt to have all the ingredients together," I shrugged. "Just in case, you know." Stooping beside the swamp, I dipped the teacup in the yucky quagmire and shook it gently to dislodge any stray drips.

Suddenly the stick-in-the-mud out in the swamp was pointing indignantly at me. "What do you think YOU'RE doing?!" he demanded.

Alexander and I were, in a word, stunned. "Uh, hi," I called, doing my best not to scream. "I was just getting some swamp ooze if that's all right."

"Well, you certainly won't get it there!" he screeched. "That's not swamp ooze! That's swamp muck!"

The bump on the log next to us sighed forlornly. "He's right, you know. But he could be a little nicer about telling you. He's not a very pleasant stick-in-the-mud," he added unnecessarily.

"Nobody asked you! Be quiet!" Stick-in-the-Mud snapped angrily.

Bump-on-a-Log sighed again, perhaps a little dramatically. "Oh, the trials of being a mere bump-on-a-log."

In response, Stick-in-the-Mud placed both "hands" on either side of his head and waggled the branches tauntingly while sticking his tongue out at Bump-on-a-Log. _Wow_ was all that was running through my mind.

Seriously. If you'd been there, you'd have no different reaction.

Alexander, however, had a stroke of genius and walked over to Bump-on-a-Log, handing him Rotten Tomato. "This might come in handy the next time your brother starts picking on you."

Bump-on-a-Log was no longer melancholy, but triumphant. "Aha! Finally old Bump-on-a-Log's not so defenseless, is he?" he crowed.

Rotten Tomato was not pleased with this sudden exchange of ownership. "Hey, hey! What're you doing there? Watch the pulp, would ya?"

Stick-in-the-Mud could easily see where this was going. "Now Bumpy," he tried reprimanding his brother, "remember all I've given you!"

Bump-on-a-Log snorted. "The only thing you've ever given me is mud! Take this!" he cried, preparing to launch his projectile.

"No!" screamed Rotten Tomato as Alexander and I stood clear of the line of fire. "Not into the swamp!"

With a light whistle, Rotten Tomato went sailing into the swamp, hitting Stick-in-the-Mud squarely on the side of the head. Infuriated, both the stick and the tomato began pelting Bump-on-a-Log with the swamp substance next to Stick-in-the-Mud. Finally, Bump-on-a-Log cried, "Hey, okay! I give up! Jeez, sorry."

Stick-in-the-Mud hesitated. "Well, I guess it's not very pleasant having things thrown at you. I'm sorry," he grumbled. Clearly he wasn't a veteran when it came to expressing remorse.

Bump-on-a-Log brightened. "You mean it? Really? Brother!"

"Brother," Stick-in-the-Mud agreed as they drifted off into slumber, exhausted from the brawl. Rotten Tomato, who was lazy in the first place, dozed off along with them.

My attention, however, was on the amassment of swamp ooze on Bump-on-a-Log's head. Tossing the swamp muck back to where it belonged, I scooped as much swamp ooze as I could into the teacup. "Good thinking, Alexander."

"Thank you," he grinned. "I think that's all we can do here for now."

"All right. Let's head back to the Isle of the Crown so we can at least trade in the flute. Maybe Jollo will be at the bookshop."

"Maybe," he agreed as we stopped in front of the ocean and took out the magic map, teleporting back to the Isle of the Crown.

Alexander's eyes were thoughtful as we came back to the tree where the nightingale perched. "Wait a minute, Kit," he said to stop me. "I wonder if this bird really does belong to Cassima."

He dug in his pocket and offered the torn page he'd gotten in the bookshop to the bird. After a minimal pause, the bird swooped down, grabbed the love poem, and flew off to the castle.

The maiden was a little surprised when she saw the nightingale fly towards her with a piece of parchment in her beak. "Sing-Sing, my sweet, you bring another present. Let me see." She took the paper from the nightingale and saw it was a love poem. "'What was it when I looked at you? What power has chained me through and through and binds my heart with links so tight I cannot live without the sight of you?'" She blushed, knowing the poem was from Alexander. "I was hoping he'd return to you. Take this to him while he waits. Hurry, my fleet one!" And she released the nightingale into the afternoon sky.

Not that long after the nightingale flew off, she flew back with an identical scrap of paper in her mouth. For a second I wondered if the recipient had returned the page, but then Alexander proclaimed softly, "It's a note."

So not what the bird flew off with. "What does it say?"

Alexander cleared his throat. "'Dearest Alexander, I cannot believe you are here, my friend. Please, please be careful. Abdul isn't about to let anyone interfere with his plans. Watch out for Abdul's genie, Alexander, and do not do anything rash. I am not without resources and I will prevail if I can only find some small means of defense. Do nothing to try to get to me. You must not be endangered again for my sake. Greatly in your family's debt, Cassima.'"

I could see his hand trembling as he read the note aloud. I'd probably react that way too, if someone I hadn't heard from in a while and was head over heels for had written to me like that.

"I wonder…does she really…?" Alexander whispered.

"Really what?" I asked quietly.

"…She calls me a 'friend'…does that mean she doesn't…?" he asked just as softly. "That I'm just-"

"She's worried for you," I affirmed. "If she really wanted to marry Alhazred, she wouldn't have told you to stay away."

He made a face at me.

"No, really, think about it. She doesn't trust him either, from what Jollo said and the tone I get from this note. She doesn't want this wedding to happen, and you waltzing in, trying to break it up is only going to put you in danger. She's telling you to stay away so you don't lose your neck, 'cause she wants to marry it later."

He made another face at me, then shook his head. "I sincerely doubt that." But his cheeks were taking on a light rosy hue.

"Whatever," I sighed, leading him into the village. "Let's go."

In the pawn shop, we traded in the flute for the tinderbox, then headed back to the beach to investigate the Isle of the Sacred Mountain.


	8. The Ancient Catacombs

Upon arriving at the beach of the Isle of the Sacred Mountain, we discovered stone etchings on the face of the cliff behind us. "Hmm…" I murmured, studying the writing. Four words were arranged in a column, making it look like this:

IGNORANCE  
KILLS  
WISDOM  
ELEVATES

"Oh!" I realized, pressing my finger against the "R" in "Ignorance", then against the "I" in "Kills", then the "S" in "Wisdom", and finally the second "E" in "Elevates". "Rise."

I had to shove down the urge to sing "Rise" by Origa as Alexander watched the cliff face in wonder. Huge blocks of stone granite burst forth, making an ascending staircase.

"That's a way to welcome visitors," Alexander noted, still in surprise.

"If that's what they're doing," I agreed, moving towards the makeshift staircase. "Uh…I know I should be proper and say 'After you', but maybe I should go first."

Alexander shook his head, unruffled. "I was about to say 'Ladies first'."

"Okay," I agreed, slowly ascending the stone steps. They were just big enough to firmly place my feet on. When the angle of the stairs changed, I slowly turned around and started climbing, pausing when I had to readjust my footing so I wouldn't lose it.

"Be careful," Alexander warned, one step behind me. Then he wobbled from side to side, exclaiming softly.

Resting one hand on the cliff face next to me, I leaned over and firmly clasped his hand in mine, steadying him. "You as well."

"Thank you," he nodded.

Slowly, we climbed further up the cliff by means of the stone steps until they stopped. Since I was in front, I could see why.

Directly above the last stone step was another etching. Leaning closer, I could see an array of mysterious symbols under the message "A Master of Languages wil _"

"That sounds familiar," I mused.

"What does?" Alexander inquired.

I turned towards him, slowly. "You tell me if you've heard this before: a master of languages will…blank."

His brown eyes widened. "Actually, I have! In a guidebook I had before coming here, there was a number of riddles about this island. That was the first one I read. The master of languages."

"Can you remember the last word?" I asked him.

He thought for a minute, then looked up at me. "Soar, I think it was. A master of languages-"

"Will soar," I finished, my eyes lighting up. "Yes, that's right, because this is-I see," I exhaled, turning back to the etchings. "So this is the alphabet of the Ancient Ones!"

"Amazing," he breathed as I pushed in the stones spelling out "SOAR" with the help of the notes I'd stored in my notebook. Then the stone under my feet trembled a little as more granite blocks pushed out of the cliff face, continuing the ascending staircase.

We were sure to go slowly up the makeshift staircase, so neither of us would lose our balance. The bottom of the cliff was a much longer way down now, probably six or seven stories, and there was a good chance neither of us would survive if we fell.

The next puzzle was a simple drawing of four circles in a row. I studied it for a second, then murmured, "Four men standing in a row, third from the left and down you go, the rest in order move you on, the Youngest, the Oldest, and the Second Son."

"Another riddle," the prince remarked. "But this one sounds relatively straightforward."

"You're right," I agreed, my finger hovering over the stones. "Third from the left and down you go sounds like a warning not to pick that one in particular. The Youngest, the Oldest, and the Second Son sounds like the ones we need to select if we're going to continue climbing. So then, all you'd have to do would be to pick…" Now my finger moved intently as I pressed the stone into the cliff face. "The last one, the first one, and the second." More stone steps emerged, and Alexander and I continued to climb.

The next puzzle was another Ancient Ones alphabet riddle, marked only by the title "Sacred Four". "Alexander, are you familiar with the Sacred Four? I can remember two: the element of Air, and the color Azure."

"So that's what the other two are!" he remarked. "I could only remember the animal Caterpillar, and the emotion Tranquility."

"Yes, right!" I agreed. "Tranquility, Azure, Caterpillar, and Air! The Sacred Four! So all we have to do is just identify them." Which I did, with a single finger. Tranquility was represented by the letter D in the Ancient Ones' alphabet, while Azure was represented by O, Caterpillar by Q, and Air by G.

The last riddle was almost identical to the first one at the bottom of the cliffs, but the message was different.

ALL SILENT  
CRY THE  
NOBLE  
BOULDERS

"This is just like the first one we saw," I noted, leaning in for a closer look. "But I'd be willing to bet it's associated with a different riddle."

"Only those of the highest order…I forget the rest," he admitted, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Only those of the highest order," I repeated, pressing in the "A" in "All", then the "S" in "Silent", then the "C" in "Cry", then the "E" in "The", then the "N" in "Noble", then finally the "D" in "Boulders". "May ascend the Cliffs of Logic."

"Right," Alexander smiled as more stone steps emerged. "Two heads really are better than one."

I chuckled as we climbed up the remaining stone steps until finally I could see the edge of the plateau. Smiling, I stepped over the lip of the rock face and helped Alexander up.

The top of the Cliffs of Logic was very different from the foot of the mountain. For one thing, you could see a lot farther in any direction. To our left was another rock wall, but standing about eight feet tall with two wooden doors in the center. Off to the right were more stone hills, but a great deal smaller than the cliffs, perhaps rising two feet off the ground. About five feet away from us was a small opening in the hills, with a bush of dark berries next to it.

Standing next to the bush was an old woman in a dark shawl, but I could distinctly see the color of her eyes under it. Bright gold.

Now this was nagging at me. Seems a lot of people around here had that shade of eye color. This could not be a coincidence. Were we being followed?

"Why do you make such an effort to climb the cliffs, young ones?" the old lady inquired. Her voice didn't seem right, either, like a man trying to pass himself off as a woman. "The Winged Ones who live on this island have the power of flight!" She knelt somewhat as she fingered one of the berries and beckoned us closer. "You could have it, too, if you'd only eat a berry from this magical flying nightshade bush!"

My eyes widened when she popped a berry into her mouth and lifted into the air, sweeping from side to side before landing perfectly on her feet. No, I wasn't surprised because of the flying, it was more about what she said.

Nightshade berries made you fly? Last I checked, nightshade was a poison.

"See?" the old woman encouraged. "The sweet berries will make you float like a petal on the wind! Try some!"

Alexander looked sideways at me and immediately found reason for concern. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Uh…let's keep walking," I advised.

"Oh, come now, little girl," the woman coaxed. "I'm just a poor old granny who wishes you well! Why do you insult me this way?"

"Well," I sighed, putting on a nervous grin to fool the woman, "I'm allergic to berries, you see, and I don't know about those."

"It's perfectly safe, young lady," she tried to assure me. "I ate one, didn't I?"

"Please," I fake begged, clamping a hand onto my collarbone. "Continuing this conversation will only make me sick!"

Alexander laid a comforting hand on my shoulder as I started to walk past the old woman. "It's all right, Kit, you'll be fine."

"Please," the old woman begged, taking a berry and shoving it towards me, "you won't feel a thing!"

"Back off!" I screamed, smacking the woman across the face as hard as I could. "Are you deaf?! I said no!"

Alexander was understandably stunned as the old woman staggered to keep her balance. "All right then!" she growled impatiently. "See if I care, you-you-you-human!" Then she was gone in a puff of smoke.

I grimaced apologetically at Alexander, who was still stunned. "I…didn't mean to do that," I mumbled. Really, I did, but he didn't have to know that.

"Kit…she disappeared into thin air," he finally managed to speak.

"So she did," I agreed, looking at the spot where she'd vanished. "Something doesn't feel right here. Why would someone try coaxing us into eating poisonous berries?"

"There's only one explanation," he sighed. "Someone in the Land wants us dead. I just hope it's-"

"What?" I asked when he didn't finish.

"Never mind," Alexander shook his head. "Well, let's move on."

"Wait just a second," I said, kneeling by the cave opening. "I can see a faint light in here." Covering my mouth with the back of my hand, I went on, "Let's hurry before the smell of the berries makes me dry heave."

Just to clear something up, in reality, I'm not allergic to berries. But standing next to nightshade berries for that long is not exactly easy on your senses.

Alexander and I soon found ourselves in a pitch black cavern where you could barely see your hand in front of your own face. "Looks like we need some light," the prince noted as he dug out the tinderbox, using the flint in the small lantern to light the candle.

Now I could see a path. At the end of it was another opening. Cautiously, so as not to stumble across anything, I made my way over to the opening and crawled through it. Alexander put out the tinderbox before following me.

This section of the cave was a bit brighter on account of the opening at the other end of the room, almost like a window. On one side of the opening was a collection of leaves. I distinctly recognized the scent as mint and smiled. "Ooh, that's a much better scent than the nightshade outside."

I took a handful of leaves and gave half of them to Alexander. "Something nice and scented to carry around in your pocket," I smiled.

"Thank you," he smiled back, heading for the entrance to the first section of the cave. When we were back in the entrance, he lit the tinderbox once again to guide us back out onto the top of the Cliffs of Logic.

"Look! Intruders!" a voice proclaimed when Alexander and I reached the end of the path.

I looked up to see a magnificent gate blocking the way to what was undoubtedly a city, with two males standing on either side of the gate. They wore Athenian style suits of armor and one carried a spear while the other had a shield, but what had me mesmerized about these guards were their stunningly beautiful wings, white as new fallen snow and easily the size of their bodies.

The two guards came forward, blocking our progress. "Hold! How did you get up here, humans?" the spear-carrying guard demanded.

"We climbed the cliffs," Alexander responded.

The guard snorted in derision. "That is not possible. No one has solved the Cliffs of Logic in several centuries. And if the Cliffs were to be solved, it would certainly not be by a human!"

I wanted to punch the guy. So apparently we humans couldn't be smart, huh? In all likelihood, these Winged Ones probably thought lowly of women, too.

"We-we didn't mean to trespass. We only wanted to visit this beautiful island," Alexander tried to plead with the guard.

The guard was not convinced. "No visitors have been welcome on the Isle of the Sacred Mountain in years! Not since the Red and White queens had spies in the guise of 'friendly visitors' steal our island's sacred golden fleece!"

There it was again, the mention of something missing from the island. The Red Queen had mentioned the Beast stealing the island's Singing Stone; had the Queens, in an act of bitterness, taken the golden fleece?

"But we will not display such foolish trust again! You will have to answer to Lord Azure and Lady Aeriel! They will determine what will be done with you. I can assure you, it will not be pleasant!" he promised.

He grabbed Alexander by the arm as the other guard roughly grabbed my arm, near my chest. I shot the Winged One a glare as Alexander and I were lifted into the air and up over the gate.

A breathless gasp left my mouth when I saw the city. It was beautiful, with elevated houses sitting on tall pillars. As every citizen of this place had wings, it was no wonder the buildings were so high up off the ground.

The houses had a bird's nest feel to them, with every domicile resting on a cushion of branches and vegetation. To my eye, they looked like grand homes resting on clouds. It was something to behold, for sure.

Alexander and I were bound for the largest and most glamorous of them all, undoubtedly where this Lord Azure and Lady Aeriel lived. The house sat on top of the highest pillar, and more of a palace feel to it than a manor house.

When Alexander and I were ushered in after the guards explained what was going on, I tried not to stare. Both Lord Azure and Lady Aeriel had the most beautiful wings I'd ever seen. It had been years since I'd been to church, but the angel wings you'd often see in stained glass windows or holy scriptures didn't come close to the wings these creatures had.

"With what trickery did you master the Cliffs of Logic and reach the City of the Winged Ones?" Lord Azure, seated on the left, demanded. He wore a simple white toga (much like the one you'd see teenage Hercules wearing if you ever saw the Disney movie or played Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep), exposing his pectorals in all their glory. They weren't too big, but noticeable.

"Only the magic of clear thought, my Lord," Alexander responded, bowing his head a little. "We meant no harm."

"The Cliffs of Logic?" Lady Aeriel noted. She wore a beautiful white gown with pure gold jewelry around her neck, as well as a tiara around her hair. "It is the sacred Oracle's prophecy, Azure!"

"Yes, Aeriel," Lord Azure agreed. He paused for a moment to think, then addressed us again. "It is lucky for you, humans, that climbing the Cliffs of Logic is part of a prophecy that I cannot ignore."

He placed a hand on his heart as he continued, "We have just been ordered by Vizier Alhazred himself to dispose of any strangers that might land on our fair isle. But the prophecy would have a different fate befall you."

Lady Aeriel took over the narrative. "The prophecy predicts that whosoever climbs the Cliffs of Logic will defeat the Minotaur."

I tried not to gulp. This was never my favorite part.

"The Minotaur has violated our sacred catacombs and eats our young in sacrifice," Lady Aeriel continued. No surprise there. "Our own daughter, Lady Celeste, was taken there only this morning as his most recently demanded offering!"

"A dilemma, then," Lord Azure noted. "Whom shall I obey in regards to your fate, the Oracle or the Crown?" If I had been completely honest with myself, I didn't know which punishment was worse.

Thankfully, Lord Azure chose the lesser of two evils. "But since Alhazred did not dictate how I was to dispose of intruders, and since you cannot possibly survive the catacombs, your imprisonment there should serve both purposes quite admirably."

Thank God for that. If Alhazred had told them to kill intruders on sight, we'd be dead in a heartbeat. The catacombs may have sounded like a death trap, but maybe if luck was on our side, we could pull off a miracle and still walk away from this alive.

"We will not resist you in this, my Lord," I promised him. "We shall do our best to save your daughter." Alexander looked at me sideways briefly, but said nothing.

Lord Azure raised an eyebrow at me, but said nothing in regards to my gender. At least he wasn't a sexist. As far as I could tell, anyway. "First I must tell you that the catacombs are a labyrinth of rooms, a place of exceeding danger. You will need many tools and clear wits to survive it."

I nodded determinedly. "My friend and I are ready."

"Very well," Lord Azure agreed. "My guards will take you there now. You seem courageous enough, but the catacombs will determine how brave you really are."

Alexander and I bowed our heads to him as the guards grabbed us again and flew us back to the top of the cliffs, where we'd seen the old woman.

One of the guards opened one of the wooden doors. So this was the entrance to the catacombs. My hand instinctively dropped down to my satchel, where my notebook was stored. If we were to survive in there, I'd need it.

"Why did you tell Lord Azure you were ready and willing to face the catacombs?" the spear-carrying guard demanded indignantly. "No one is ever ready, and only a fool could be willing!"

So I was a fool, huh? With slight venom, I shot back, "And it makes you that much smarter than us to leave one of your own to die? Your Lord and Lady's daughter, no less?"

"Bravery and suicide are two different things, human!" the guard shouted. "You will have a chance to renounce your choice soon enough when you lay trembling under the Minotaur's hooves!"

I snorted lightly. "You'll see in due time. Thanks for the…escort," I said, finding no other reason to thank the pompous guards.

"We only escort you to your death," the guard sniffed. "May the Fates make it quick so that you do not have to scream long!"

Grabbing us roughly, the guards shoved us into the dark catacombs and closed the door loudly. A few seconds later, there was the sound of a heavy lock grating against itself. So walking out the door was no longer an option.

The catacombs were dimly lit by means of torches in every corner. But visibility would not be an issue, which I was thankful for. In two of the walls were medium-length crypts, containing remains of who knows what. My guess would be past victims of the Minotaur.

I pawed through my satchel as Alexander murmured next to me, "Well, I sincerely hope you know what you're doing, because for now, we're trapped."

I extracted my notebook and flipped it open to the "road map" I'd made of the catacombs. As the prince of Daventry curiously glanced over my shoulder, I looked back at him. "You would not believe what I had to go through to get this."

After some careful navigation, we came into a dead-end room with a couple of skeletons on the floor. Human, since there were no wing structures of any kind. A human skull lay next to one, and I picked it up to examine it. The bone was smooth, and running a hand along it felt sort of creepy.

"Kind of strange," I mused quietly. "Almost like you're reminded that time is always running out while holding one of these." Then I stowed it in my satchel. "Well, you know the saying. 'You never know, it might come in handy.'"

He nodded as we retraced our steps and continued on through the maze. After a minute, we came into a room that was different from the others on account of the designs on the tiled floor.

"Aha," I exhaled. "Another riddle. Let's see if I remember it…'Three roses laid upon the bower-'"

"'A scythe for he who cuts the flower,'" Alexander supplemented next to me.

"'A crown, a dove, most noble race,'" I went on, smiling at him.

"'Thy bones make sacred this dread place,'" he smiled back. "So that's what that meant. As long as we step on the right tiles, we can proceed."

"Right," I nodded. There was a tile with a rose right in front of me, so I stepped on it. Then I looked back at Alexander. "Step on the exact same tile I do. Even I don't know what'll happen if something goes wrong."

In the old days, "upon the bower" meant in a diagonal pattern, so instead of moving erratically from rose tile to rose tile, I moved diagonally, then onto the closest tile that had the image of a scythe on it. In this manner, Alexander and I crossed the room and went into the next room.

I stopped when we heard footsteps, and within moments, a tall woman wearing a toga like the other Winged Ones with magnificent white wings swept into the room. She gasped a little, but withdrew her hands from her mouth when she saw us. "Oh! You are only humans and not the monster itself! I heard you coming and thought you were the beast. Did my father send you in here to rescue me?"

I didn't answer, too busy staring at her eyes. So Alexander responded instead. "Why, yes he did, but-"

"Shh! There's no time to waste. I think I found the secret exit out of the catacombs. Follow me, quickly!" She gestured to us before walking into the room she came out of.

Alexander turned towards me. "What do you think?"

I started to shake my head. "I know I've seen that eye color before. But what I don't understand is-why we're being followed." In reality, I knew perfectly who was tailing us, and why, but what Alexander didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"So we should turn around and find another way?" he suggested quietly.

"That might be best," I agreed, turning around so we could retrace our steps. Beyond the room past the spike maze was a wooden shield with a cross on it. I studied it for a second, then picked it up off the wall and offered it to Alexander. "This should be useful."

He nodded as we continued through the maze. I don't like to admit it, but with every room I was holding my breath as we walked in, hoping I was following my road map correctly and not leading us into a room with a deep pit on the other side. But we seemed to be doing okay thus far.

Alexander stopped when we arrived in a dead-end room. The crypt on my right seemed to glint at me, and upon closer inspection I saw it was because there were some coins sitting on two of the skulls, one on top of each eye.

"Ooh," I said, leaning closer to the crypt. "Look at these."

He took the coins off one of the skulls while I took the coins off the other skull. The coins were very simple, with a light coat of rust due to years of neglect inside the ancient catacombs. "Fascinating. Well, since the owners don't need these anymore, I suppose there's no harm in taking them."

"Exactly," I agreed as we retraced our steps once again. After a few more rooms, we stopped in the middle when wooden doors locked us in. To our left was a gear mechanism that began to grind as the gears turned. Slowly but surely, the ceiling began to drop down.

"Kit, the ceiling!" Alexander shouted.

"I'm on it!" I shouted back, pawing quickly through my satchel for the stone brick I'd found on the Isle of the Beast. The second it was in my hand, I shoved it at Alexander. "Don't miss!"

Quickly, he took the brick and threw it at the gears. The metal cogs began to shriek as the mechanism grinded to a halt and the ceiling stopped in its descent. Springing the trap caused the doors to open, allowing us to exit the room.

"That was a close one," I exhaled in relief as we headed forward.

"I'll say," he sighed, nodding.

We walked through two more rooms before we came into another dead-end room. But in this room, before I could even suggest we turn back, the floor opened up beneath us. "Whoa!" I shouted in alarm. Even though I knew this would happen, feeling the ground suddenly vanish from under your feet was pretty startling.

"Zounds!" Alexander cried. "A trap floor!"

We tried to reorient ourselves so we wouldn't fall, but it was too late. The two of us plunged down into the second level of the catacombs, into a pitch-black room.

And when I say pitch-black, I mean you couldn't see jack in that room. I couldn't even see my own hands, let alone Alexander standing next to me.

"You all right?" I murmured, looking around for him.

"Nothing's broken," he muttered back, somewhere to my right. "If only I could see, though."

"You still have the tinderbox?"

"Oh yes, one second." After fumbling for a moment, I could see a spark as Alexander used the flint in the lantern to light the candle. He swiveled around and grinned. "So that's why it's dark in here. A torch is out." He used the candle to light the spent torch, illuminating the room more noticeably before putting out the tinderbox to preserve the candle.

"Okay," I exhaled, trying to slow down my racing heart. Because he'd acted quickly enough, we hadn't encountered any surprise visitors in the room.  
(In the game, if you don't light the tinderbox right away, a Minotaur you can't see strangles you)

We continued through the catacombs, finding nothing of interest except a fancy tapestry hanging on the eastern wall. It depicted a grand castle (Spanish from the look of the design) by a lovely river.

Alexander and I examined the tapestry, but there seemed to be nothing significant about the weaving. Although, given the general décor of the place, there was probably more to the tapestry than we knew.

We wandered around the maze some more, until finally we came to yet another dead-end room, but in here, faint sounds of clopping hooves we'd heard throughout the catacombs were even louder than usual, like the source of the clopping hooves was in the room with us.

I walked to the northern wall of the room and fumbled through my satchel for the hole-in-the-wall I'd gotten at the Isle of Wonder. I placed it on the cold, clammy stone of the wall, and, ignoring the slight tremor that rocked the little beast, I gazed through the hole-in-the-wall.

On the other side of the wall, in the room next to this one, I saw the tapestry we'd found earlier, but the tapestry was not what interested me. Silently, I gestured Alexander closer to me and pointed to the hole-in-the-wall. After a moment, he stood back, his eyes a little wider than usual.

As we continued through the maze, he whispered to me, "I saw the Minotaur. He was in the same room as the tapestry, and he opened a hidden door behind the tapestry. Maybe that's where the Minotaur's lair is."

"Maybe," I nodded quietly as we made our way back to the tapestry room. Then I stuck a hand behind the weaving and moved it around until I felt my hand collide against something small. I wrapped two fingers around it and pulled until I heard a latch clicking.

A section of the wall next to the tapestry slid open and I gazed through it for a moment. "Ready?" I asked the Daventry prince quietly.

He nodded once, and with that, we proceeded through the secret door to the Minotaur's lair.


	9. Confrontation

We stepped inside the hidden room of the catacombs, and it was a challenge not to stagger backward from the sudden heat wave that greeted us. The room was far bigger than any other room in the catacombs (which made sense as this was where the beast lived), and in the far corner I could see a part of the floor had caved in, possibly on account of the wild flames that rose up into the air, as if from the throat of a dragon.

In the corner closest to us was a hideous altar with some creature's skull set atop it. Struggling on said altar was a beautiful yet haughty-looking girl with magnificent wings in a white robe. But it was the figure she was struggling with Alexander and I were fixated on.

The Minotaur was a gigantic beast with cloven hooves (almost funny how the cloven hooves were associated with the devil) and the chest of a man. I couldn't see its face (and I wasn't exactly eager to remember how it looked anyway), but I could see two large curved horns atop its head. It struggled almost angrily with the young girl on the altar.

"No! I beg of you, please don't hurt me!" the girl cried.

The beast's voice was gravelly and filled with hatred as it spat back, "Your struggles are useless."

"It must be the Minotaur," Alexander breathed next to me. "And Lady Celeste on the altar."

A conniving grin had formed on my lips as I rubbed my hands together. Oh, how I'd been waiting for this moment.

Filling my lungs with oxygen, I stepped forward one foot and whistled as loudly as I could to catch the monster's attention. Alexander stared at me in mild horror, but the sound had caught Lady Celeste's ear. It took a great deal of effort not to groan "Sierra logic" at that moment.

I mean, seriously. She heard it, but not the Minotaur? Sierra logic.

"You there!" she called. "Humans! Help me! Help!"

Now the Minotaur knew we were there and whirled around on the spot, roaring like a feral beast. Now I could see the face. It was a typical bull's face with ears and a long snout, but the eyes had me interested. Maybe the pupils were so small I couldn't see them, but from the distance I was standing, the Minotaur appeared to have only corneas and no pupils or irises. Kind of freaky, if you ask me. And to think it terrified me when I was a kid.

"Who dares enter my lair?" the Minotaur growled. Its voice was lower, sounding more dangerous.

"What are you, stupid?" I asked, narrowing my eyes in disbelief. "Do you not see the two humans standing here in this off-putting room?" Maybe the beast was blind or something.

The Minotaur growled angrily, and I couldn't resist a lame joke. "Jeez, what got his goat, do you think?"

The look on Alexander's face suggested I was in need of serious help. "Kit, I'm starting to worry about you."

"You ought to worry more about yourself, mate," I pointed out, hoping this was annoying the Minotaur to no end. Irritated men were quite entertaining. "I mean, have you noticed where we are? It's bloody hot in here," I listed, fanning myself as I looked around, "it smells like a skunk threw up with diarrhea, and the décor is just as grotesque as the nanny goat that 'lives' in it!"

I was sure to etch quotation marks with my fingers on the word "lives" and tried not to smirk when the Minotaur roared at the top of its lungs. Oh yeah. The beast wasn't blind. Even better. Gad, I loved doing this.

"Well, anyway, we're kind of on a schedule here," I went on, addressing the Minotaur as nonchalantly as possible. "So how about you let the three of us go free, and we can all get on with our day without any kind of hitches?"

I'm sure my facetious smile only aggravated the beast further as it roared out again. "Never!" it bellowed. "You die, human!"

"Kit," Alexander hissed warningly as one of his hands clenched around my wrist.

"Oh, come on," I sighed, rolling my eyes as the Minotaur advanced on us, its teeth bared in anger. "What could a nanny goat do?"

"Have you noticed where we are?" he pressed, and I saw he had pulled me back with him, and our backs were now inches from the fiery pit in the corner.

"Don't worry," I whispered to him. "I have a plan. Get as close to the wall as you can, this won't be pretty."

The Minotaur was now dragging a hoof behind it as it prepared to charge. "Now where to, little ones?"

Alexander decided to try to put Lady Celeste's mind at ease as I pawed quickly through my satchel. "We'll take care of the Minotaur, milady. Have no fear."

My fingers closed around what I intended to use as I looked up at the Minotaur. "Last chance, cow. Let us all go and you'll live."

The Minotaur growled again. "Don't be a fool!"

My jaw dropped as an enraged look entered my eyes. The nanny goat just crossed the line. If anyone I knew had been standing next to me, that would have been an appropriate moment for them to chime "Oh no he di-in't!"

"Okay, that is it," I growled, whipping out my secret weapon and displaying it in all its glory. "You see this, nanny goat?! You see it, don't ya?"

The Minotaur seemed to be all the more enraged. Its hoof moved a lot faster than it did a few seconds ago.

"Yeah, that's right, you scummy bastard!" I shouted, whipping around the Red Queen's scarf. "Nice, bright red!"

The Minotaur growled for what would be its last time. "_RED! NOW YOU DIE!_"

I started to dance around like a leprechaun as the Minotaur ran straight at me, being sure to whirl away from the fiery pit as I tossed the scarf in. In the blink of an eye, the Minotaur was gone amidst the consuming flames. Slowly, its scream of terror and pain dwindled to nothing.

I looked back at Alexander, a mix of awe and concern in his brown eyes. "You were infuriating the Minotaur on purpose?"

"Kind of," I conceded, scratching under my jaw. "I was mainly doing it for fun."

"You're a very strange girl," he informed me as I walked towards the altar.

"And proud of it," I grinned. "Milady. Did the Minotaur harm you?"

"It was about to!" Lady Celeste snapped at me. She had a funny way of showing gratitude. "I assume you do not intend to leave me tied up on this vile monstrosity?"

I cannot tell you how tempted I was to make a bitingly sarcastic comment, i.e. "Oh, good heavens, of course I do, quite frankly your parents don't care one way or another if you die in here."

But no, I was perfectly civil and responded as smoothly as I could, "Oh, of course not. Give me just a moment, and you'll be untied in no time at all."

"I can't wait that long!" she sighed. "Look, I carry a small dagger just inside my belt. It should be enough to cut the rope."

"Oh, even better, thank you, milady!" I chirped, grabbing the dagger's hilt and sawing at the rope. "Five seconds."

In three seconds, the rope was cut and Lady Celeste sat up. "Thank you," she said a little stiffly. "You may keep the dagger as a gift for saving my life."

"How generous of you," I nodded once.

"Forget it," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Do you mind if we just get out of here now?"

Bowing a little, I gestured towards the other door next to the fire pit. "Ladies first."

Without a backward glance, Lady Celeste walked gracefully out of the Minotaur's lair. With a friendly smile, I gestured to Alexander, inviting him to step out first. He smiled back as he walked through the door.

With one final smile, I looked around the Minotaur's lair and allowed a little giggle to escape my lips as I followed Alexander and Lady Celeste outside. "That was fun."

The Winged Ones guards, bored with the pointless waiting, started a little when they heard the sound of rock grinding against rock. They looked around just in time to see Lady Celeste emerging from the cliff face next to the catacombs entrance and bowed when she faced them.

"Lady Celeste!" the guard with the spear greeted, rising out of his bow. "Bide thee well?"

"I'm quite well," Lady Celeste sniffed, "thanks to the bravery of mere humans. So much for your superior intellect."

"Yes, milady," the guard responded weakly. Somehow, I managed not to laugh, but I couldn't stop a little smirk from working its way onto my face. Every cloud has a silver lining.

"Now bring them along," she commanded. "I'm going home." With a flap of her magnificent wings, she took off towards the City of the Winged Ones.

The guards moved towards us again and I rolled my eyes as the guard that had carried me before grabbed me in the same place he had before.

Because of my eyes drifting, I was able to catch sight of a raven perched on a rock not far from the nightshade bush. The raven flew off, cawing loudly, but I was more interested in the eye color. From what I recalled, most ravens didn't have such brilliant gold eyes…


	10. The Oracle's Wisdom and the Misty Island

"I see you have proven yourself the 'heroes' of the prophecy," Lord Azure noted when the guards dropped us off at the throne room. "Well, I am expected to thank you for saving my daughter's life, so I thank you," he went on, nodding once. Even I could tell it took a lot for him to say that.

"I am obliged to thank you for the restoration of our sacred catacombs. It means much to our people. We have already begun the process of clearing the deadly traps from its rooms. It is also my duty to grant you a visit with the Oracle, so this I do. I will grant you the freedom to leave here unharmed, despite my orders to the contrary from the Crown, but there my obligations to you end," he added firmly. He must have been more grateful than he let on, because he was really disobeying Alhazred's instructions to kill us. Either that, or he wasn't all that fond of Alhazred taking over the monarchy.

"I have no love for Alhazred," he admitted, "but he is my liege and if Princess Cassima trusts him and wishes to wed him….My guards will take you to the Oracle now. When your time with her is through, I want you to leave the City of the Winged Ones and never return. I don't know who you are or what you want here, but I will not disobey my Crown further."

Alexander and I bowed our heads to him in respect. "We thank you, Lord Azure," Alexander thanked him. "We will respect your wishes."

And with that, the guards flew us out to the sacred mountain for which the island was named. Inside was a cavernous chamber where a tall, elegant figure stood somewhat hunched over a small pool of sorts filled with glimmering water. Their wings were magnificent, and once again, it was a challenge not to stare.

"Hail to thee, great Oracle!" the guard proclaimed. "Lord Azure sends you this wingless male and female. It appears that they solved the Cliffs of Logic and-"

"-defeated the Minotaur in his lair," the Oracle finished. "So I have seen. So these are the ones that haunt my pool of late. Welcome, young seekers. What knowledge do you desire?"

The Oracle seemed to be a lot kinder than the other Winged Ones. I smiled, but then lightly nudged Alexander. "Well, Alexander?"

"But-" When I shook my head at him, he turned back towards the Oracle. "Princess Cassima. Whatever you can tell us, great Oracle."

"Ah," she sighed in comprehension, "of course, the princess. That explains my images. Let us see what we can see." She swirled a finger in the water before her, and an image of a beautiful young maiden with thick, curly black hair appeared in the water.

"I see a maiden, lovely and pure, but surrounded by evil. She is a rose set amidst bitter thorns. It is her fate to be the pawn of dark powers, and yours to try to redeem her," she told Alexander.

The image disappeared as the prince inquired, "How? How do I redeem her?"

The Oracle shook her head sadly. "Fate is not like the cut of a blade, young one, but rather like the myriad of paths formed when a hammer cracks ice. I will tell you what I can, but what will actually come to pass is up to you.

"I see that any attempt to reach the girl will force you into battle, a struggle against a dark force. If you lose, your life will be forfeit," she warned.

"Who must we fight?" Alexander went on.

The Oracle's eyes became clouded over as she answered grimly, "A great darkness surrounds your adversary, preventing me from seeing clearly. I can only make out the shape of a black cloak. But before this final struggle, I see an infiltration- a dangerous game of hide-and-seek in corridors filled with enemies. The risks are high, but it's the only way to reach the one you seek," she told him. "There is more than one way into this place. Your choice will dictate much."

I listened carefully to the Oracle, even though her attention was focused mainly on Alexander. No doubt remembering this later would come in handy.

Alexander nodded. "What else do you see, mighty Oracle?"

Once again, the Oracle swirled a finger in the water before her, but this time a skull appeared, the image flying past my ear.

I retracted in alarm as the Oracle gasped. "Oh! Oh, such pain. I see two restless spirits crying out for revenge. These shades could help you destroy the dark force if they were to be brought back from their spiritual form. Yet this is only one possible path to your destiny.

"I'm afraid this is getting beyond me," she admitted. "I can only advise getting counsel from the Druids. Be warned, the Druids are reclusive and dangerous. They might aid you or they might destroy you. Like their island, the Druids' nature is hidden in the mists. There is nothing more I can do for you except to give you this."

She took out a short, thin vial and scooped some water from her pool, putting a stopper in it and handing it to Alexander. "It is water from the sacred pool. That, no doubt, will help you should you need it."

Then she took out a small gemstone and offered it to me. "As I understand, young lady, you are not from here. This will help you get home when your job is done here. These and my blessing go with you both."

Cautiously, I closed the jewel in both hands and bowed my head to her. "Thank you very much, great Oracle," I thanked her as Alexander followed my example.

"We are eternally grateful for your wisdom," he added.

As per the deal with Lord Azure, the guards came back and flew us to the beach of the isle. Before taking out the magic map, I studied the gemstone the Oracle had given me.

"Kit, where do you come from anyway?" Alexander inquired. "If you're not from here, then where do you live?"

"Someplace very far away," I answered.

"Serenia?" he guessed.

"Eh, farther," I grimaced. "You wouldn't have heard of it, trust me."

"If you say so. So then, this gem will allow you to return home?"

I studied the trinket the Oracle had given me. It was mainly obsidian in color, but in certain places, catching the light made it look a little like an emerald. "I hope so. Anyway, let's-well, hello," I had to supplement when I took out the magic map to study.

The other islands were still visible on the map, but a new island had appeared, far off the coast of the Isle of the Beast. It was easily the smallest island, and drawings of clouds surrounded the land. The name for the island was "Isle of the Mists".

Alexander looked over my shoulder at the new island. "Didn't the book shop owner mention an isle shrouded in mists?"

"And the Oracle just told us about the Druids living on an island hidden in the mists," I agreed. "Well, shall we explore?"

"As long as we're careful," he warned. Clearly he was remembering the Oracle's warning about the Druids: "reclusive and dangerous".

I almost wanted to scoff and tell him "Careful is my middle name", but he wouldn't have gotten it, and careful wasn't in my nature anyway.

So I nodded. "Yeah. No problem."

When we landed on the beach of the Isle of the Mists, Alexander and I took a moment to look around. There were two paths that led elsewhere, one to the northwest, and the other to the northeast. The island felt eerie on account of the gnarled moss-covered trees and rolling mists, and only a few feet of water could be seen from the shore before the ocean was lost in the fog for which the island was named. Strange rocks could be seen around the shore, like the tips of volcanoes rising from the water. But what I was most interested in was the sound of mysterious drums and chanting.

As Alexander opened his mouth to speak, I raised a finger to my lips. "Shh," I whispered. "Listen."

A minute or two was spent in silence as he listened, then looked to the northeast, where the sounds were coming from. "I…have a bad feeling," he admitted.

"Why don't we explore over here, then?" I offered, pointing to the northwest. He nodded in agreement, and we followed the path until we came to a clearing.

The clearing must have been where the island's residents lived, for all around the clearing were large trees serving as houses. In the center of the small village was a fire pit filled with lumps of coal, while the path Alexander and I stood on wound two ways, back south to the beach and east to the inland.

The trees looked cozy and suitable for a home, although I gathered the inhabitants had very simple tastes in comparison to mine or Alexander's. I examined one as Alexander moved to the center of the village, where a horned animal skull was on display. There were a small set of steps leading up to a well-bolted wooden door, sheltered under an animal hide. Hesitantly, I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Either no one was home, or the house's owner wasn't in the mood for company.

"Look at this," Alexander beckoned me over to the skull. Ornamental, yet simple jewels decorated the skull, and despite the lovely quality of the jewels, I was still hesitant to touch the skull.

"I'd assume, since this might be where the Druids live, that this skull is some kind of talisman against danger," I speculated.

"Maybe. Oh?"

Alexander's attention was fixed on one of the tree-houses. On one side of the door was a small staircase, and directly above the top step was a bearskin with a scythe hanging on it.

The prince scaled the staircase and took down the scythe. When he looked back at me, I pointed to him. "That's not going in my satchel."

"Fair enough," he chuckled, stowing it in his own inventory. Then we walked over to the fire pit, looking down inside it. Several lumps of coal were in it, but they were cold.

"That's odd," I mused, picking up one of the lumps of coal. "This fire pit was not in use recently, but I smell smoke nearby."

"Do you think it might have something to do with the strange sounds we heard on the beach?" Alexander wondered.

"Maybe. But I think, for now, we're done looking around here. What say we take this lump of coal back to the Queens on the Isle of Wonder? Maybe they'll stop bickering," I suggested.

"Good idea," he nodded, leading me back to the beach.

"Your Highness may as well spend her royal time contemplating something else," the Red Queen sniffed when she and the White Queen reached the city's entrance. "The lump of coal shall be sent to the Castle of the Crown under my name, and that's all there is to it."

"No, it shan't," the White Queen rebuked.

"Yes, it shall," the Red Queen shot back, smirking.

"If the coal is sent in your name, I shall royally decree a ban on all red on this isle," the White Queen snarled.

This did not amuse the Red Queen. "You do, and I shall royally decree that white shall be henceforth used for all mopping up of cabbage stew."

"Oh," I groaned, my eyes widening a little. Now things had gotten real.

The White Queen gasped. "You wouldn't dare!"

The Red Queen's smirk widened. "Oh, wouldn't I?"

Then they turned towards us again. "Oh, it's you," the White Queen greeted snidely. "Have you thought of any more of those brilliant ideas of yours?"

My eye twitched minimally as I stepped forward, the lump of coal from the Isle of the Mists in hand. Highly tempted to throw it at one of them and shout, "Stick this in your pipe and do the hokey pokey!" I offered the lump of coal to the White Queen and said to her as graciously as I could, "Here, it's another lump of coal. So now you can stop bickering over the one you have."

The White Queen was overjoyed. "Oh, let me see! A lump of coal! And what a beauty it is, too! Marvelous!" she gushed. Then she turned towards the Red Queen. "Now we can stop fighting, sister. Your Highness can just keep the old lump of coal, and I'll take this new one."

Now it was impossible not to think of Alice in Wonderland when I heard "sister". What was next, a Frabjous Day with a Jabberwocky? Except this White Queen was not as mature as Mirana.

"Quite right," the Red Queen concurred. "That settles everything."

They turned to face us. "As a token of our endless esteem and royal favor, please accept this magnificent and truly incredible spoiled egg," the White Queen said, handing me the egg.

"Uh…" both Alexander and I chorused. "Um, thanks," I smiled weakly at the Queens. Some exchange. Why didn't I keep the coal?

The Queens turned and began hopping away. "Let me see that lump of coal, Your Highness," the Red Queen said.

"It is a beauty, isn't it?" the White Queen cooed.

"Why, it's bigger than my lump of coal!" the Red Queen noted with anger. "Let me have it immediately!"

"Oh, crikey," I groaned.

"Over my dead body, Your Highness!" the White Queen shot back. "It's MY lump of coal, and it is indeed larger and much grander! Just look at that sheen!"

"I DEMAND you exchange with me IMMEDIATELY!" the Red Queen yelled.

I turned away from the city gate as Alexander shrugged. "They're on their own for this one. I'm not wasting any more brain cells on their childish dilemmas."

"Well said," the prince of Daventry nodded. "So? What next?"

"I have an idea," I responded after a moment's contemplation. "The Red Queen said the Singing Stone of this island was stolen by the Beast, didn't she?"

"Yes," he agreed. "Should we try and get it back?"

"Gives us something to do while figuring out what to do about Alhazred," I shrugged.

"All right," he nodded. "Then let's go."


	11. Okay, Disney Fans, Check This Out

Alexander had his eye on the stone archer at the garden, and his gaze was suspicious. "This statue follows your every movement, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," I nodded, my eyes also on the statue. "He may shoot if we try to pass through the gate."

Alexander took out the shield we found in the catacombs. "Well then, why don't I go first with the shield?"

"Be careful," I warned.

He nodded once, propping the shield on his right arm as he cautiously walked towards the gate. The stone archer followed him, his arrow constantly trained on Alexander before he released it. Alexander quickly brought up the shield to guard against the stone projectile, and within seconds the shield's only use was kindling.

I exhaled, waiting for something else to happen, but the archer only slumped dejectedly, his only arrow gone.

Alexander looked down at the shield's remains, then back at me. "That was a surprise, wasn't it?"

I giggled weakly. "No kidding."

"Well, come on," he beckoned me. "Let's see how further we can go."

I cautiously jogged through the gate and joined him at the rose hedges. He removed one of the flowers and smelled it, closing his eyes as he did so. "Oh, smell that," he told me, holding the rose in my direction.

The rose smelled very fragrant and even felt soft against my nose. "Ooh. You should hang on to that," I recommended, nudging him. "Be a nice gift to send to Cassima, huh?"

"Mm," he grunted, turning away, but not fast enough to hide the blush coloring his cheeks. "Why don't we see what's beyond this gazebo?"

He took one step closer to the little gateway, but the rose hedges, sensing an intruder, quickly grew together to prevent access to the area beyond the gazebo. The path was blocked.

"Apparently someone doesn't want us proceeding," he speculated.

"Someone probably didn't want us proceeding from the beach," I reminded him. Off his somewhat quizzical look, I explained, "The boiling path, the archer, and now this? Something is up."

"Should we turn back, then?" he suggested, joining his eyebrows together. "Maybe this is a sign we're not supposed to be here."

"No way," I chuckled, examining one of the rose hedges. "No one sets up barriers like this unless they're hiding something really worthwhile."

"Are you talking about treasure or something?" he asked me.

"I'm talking about anything that might be useful to us," I told him, my eyes lighting up as I dug through my satchel for Lady Celeste's dagger. "Maybe Alhazred has some kind of secret that he doesn't want anyone to find out, and so he hid it beyond this garden. Aha," I exclaimed softly when I pulled out the dagger and began sawing at the branches.

"I don't think that'll help," he said to me, extracting the scythe from his inventory. "Let me try."

I sidestepped so he could get full access to the hedge. "Be my guest."

I just had to chuckle to myself. That phrase had me thinking of Beauty and the Beast, my favorite Disney movie. And here we were on the Isle of the Beast.

Alexander fluidly wielded the scythe, hacking away at the magical rosebush as leaves flew through the air. But Alexander didn't let up until he gasped, "Kit, I see light!"

After a minute or two of pruning, the path was once again open. I wondered if the hedges would try once again to grow together, but using the scythe must have worked. "Okay, then. Let's have a look."

I followed Alexander through the gazebo, and my eyes lit up when we saw the land beyond. The path through the woods and garden ended here in a small clearing where a gushing fountain dominated and perhaps ten feet away was an iron gate leading into a maze of hedges. Far beyond the hedge maze was a majestic castle, shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

I took my gaze off the bubbling fountain when we heard the iron gate opening and closing. Stepping through the gate was a tall figure, dressed in regal clothing and very fancy shoes. Yet the figure itself was not entirely normal. You could easily tell this from the thick brown fur that covered it, and the long pig-like snout that protruded from under its hat.

The creature growled when its eyes alighted on us. "Who dares enter Beast's garden?" it demanded in a feral, gravelly male voice.

Alexander and I were speechless for only a brief moment, then I cleared my throat as Alexander responded, "My name is Alexander, and this is my friend Kit. We didn't mean to disturb your private garden."

"No?" Beast snorted. "And yet, monsieur, you could hardly have 'accidentally' broken through the three enchanted traps of the Isle of the Beast!"

I chuckled weakly as Alexander stuttered. "Perhaps it's simply our nature to break through enchanted traps." Was I an idiot for insisting we come here.

Beast growled a little. "You must be a prince and princess, then." When I gestured at Alexander to say, "Just him, not me!" he went on, "I know the nature of princes all too well. This face you see before you is hideous, is it not?"

As he studied his reflection in a hand mirror with disdain, I groaned, "Oh, certainly not hideous…."

"I agree," the prince of Daventry nodded. "For the face of a beast…it is really quite…noble."

"Ha!" Beast shouted, making me jump a little. "I'm glad you like it! For you two will soon own ones just like it! I too was once a pretty prince, caring for nothing but adventuring and rescuing fair maidens."

"Must've been nice," I smiled brightly, sighing wistfully. So far, this little adventure was the most exciting thing to happen in my life.

"But I rankled one too many evil hags," he growled. "One dark night, I was turned into this obscenity you see before you, warped in shape, and trapped on this enchanted island over a hundred years ago!"

I whistled, looking Beast over. "Over a hundred years on this island? My word, you don't look a day over twenty-five."

"Kit," Alexander hissed at me.

"What? It's a compliment," I retorted.

He shook his head sadly before turning back to Beast. "Surely there is a way off this island," he pointed out.

Beast was snide again. "Oh, surely. You broke in, did you not? And yet, think: Where would I go clad so 'eloquently' as I am with this silk, and this PELT?" he spat the last word out. After clearing his throat, he went on, "You see, my prison is also my sanctuary. You are the first to break through the barriers in lo these many years-that is, except for the Druids, who stole my heirloom coat-of-arms!"

Okay, hold on a second. Beast allegedly stole the Singing Stone from the Isle of Wonder, which may have led the Red and White Queens to steal the Winged Ones' sacred golden fleece. And now the Druids of the Isle of the Mists had stolen Beast's coat-of-arms….Was that what prompted him to take the Singing Stone?

_No, use your head for once, dummy. If Beast was mad at the Druids, why would he steal from someone else instead of them? This is very fishy business, and there's a vital clue we're missing._

It couldn't have been the same reason Alhazred wanted Alexander dead, could it?

I tuned back into the conversation just as I heard Alexander saying, "…any way we can help…"

"Help?" Beast repeated. "You? I'm afraid you don't understand. The enchanted barriers were a warning and protection for YOU more than for me. Your prize for forcing your way past them is to join me in this dire life."

"And that means what?" I asked, joining my eyebrows together and raising them up high on my forehead.

Beast's grimace was almost a smirk. "By the laws of this sorcery, you are doomed to be trapped in the form of a beast. Your reward for broaching this garden is to be my slaves, slaves as beastly as I am. You have only a few hours of humanity left."

"Uh-oh," I groaned as Alexander gasped, "But that's not possible! There must be some way to break the enchantment. Spells always have a weakness somewhere."

"That's very true," I concurred. "Did this sorceress mention any way out of the spell?"

"The enchantment you are under is tied to my own," Beast answered. "Oh, the sorceress left me a 'way out,' but I'm afraid it was only her final, bitter joke. You see, I need only find a maiden to join me here, to share my castle, my life-willingly. Take another look at me. You can't help but admire the hag's terrible cruelty and cunning," he sneered.

"Oh, that's no joke," I scoffed, thinking once more of Beauty and the Beast. "We can find a maiden no problem!"

"I shall do whatever it takes to find such a maiden," Alexander vowed, "for Cassima's sake."

Jeez, he must really have been bent on reuniting with Cassima if he was willing to chance turning into a beast for her. I couldn't help but admire his lion heart instead of the hag's cruelty, as Beast suggested.

This vow amused Beast. "Truly? How determined of you. I personally would not waste my last few hours as a man on an impossible errand. However, you may do as you please. I give you this token." He presented me with a beautiful diamond ring set in a pure gold band. I bowed my head to him as he did so. Just because he didn't look like a prince anymore didn't mean he still wasn't one.

"It's my family ring, and the only heirloom I have left," he told me. "If perchance you should-if you think you have found a maid…"

"We give her this ring," I finished.

"Yes," he responded. "She must accept it of her own free will. By doing so, she accepts me. Not that you shall find anyone, mind you!"

I couldn't help but smirk a little. _Watch me._

"Your time is short," he warned us. "Count the minutes on your fingers while the fingers you have, pretty prince and little lady. Your master will await you." Then he turned back to the iron gate and disappeared behind it, returning to his grand but solitary castle.

"Well, back to the Isle of the Crown?" he suggested.

"You thinking about that girl who lived past the village?" I confirmed.

"Yes," he nodded as we headed back to the garden past the gazebo. "I've seen no other maidens on our quest, and she may just be the one he's looking for."

"Good thinking," I commended as we quickly crossed the pond and returned to the beach. I took out the magic map, and we teleported back to the Isle of the Crown.

Instead of heading directly to the nobles' quarters beyond the village, Alexander made a quick stop at the bookstore, hoping to run into Jollo. Sure enough, the Court Clown was seated in his usual chair, reading the same book.

"Jollo, my friend," Alexander greeted as we walked over to him. "Is the wedding still moving forward at the castle?"

Jollo looked up at the sound of his voice and stood up instantly, putting down his book. "Prince Alex, Kit! Egads, yes, that confounded wedding has the whole castle a-bustle! Look, I didn't come here to talk about that, though. I came to warn you," he added confidentially.

I eyed him curiously. "Something else we should be concerned about, Jollo?"

"No, listen!" he protested. "The vizier knows that you're here, Alexander. He's posted extra guards and he's telling them about two foreign saboteurs! Who else could he mean but you? The vizier's genie must have learned about your presence in the land, Prince Alex." He laughed in distress as he went on, "I don't know how, but he must have."

"Hold on a second," I interjected. "Uh, do you remember what color this genie's eyes are?"

"Bright yellow, if I remember correctly," he hummed, furrowing his brow. "Why do you ask?"

"Alexander," I gasped, widening my eyes as I took his arm, "he's the one that's following us. The vizier's genie is the one that's been trying to kill us all this time!"

"Kill you?" Jollo echoed. "Just what-"

"First was the boy in the water, then the man in the garden at the Isle of the Beast," I recalled. "Then there was that old woman on the Isle of the Sacred Mountain, and that Lady Celeste imposter! All these people had bright gold eyes, and they were all trying to trick us into death," I explained. "If only we'd been a little more discreet."

"Kit, this is serious!" Jollo protested. "Alhazred will never let anyone get close to Cassima now. He's doubled the castle guard probably to make sure you keep out! Gadzooks! Oh, it's too bad there isn't some way to convince Alhazred that you've left the islands, or even died! If he thought you were out of the way, you might be able to get close enough to-" he trailed off.

An idea formulated in my brain as Alexander hummed. "An interesting thought. Tell us more about this genie."

"The genie's name is Shamir Shamazel," Jollo answered. "Alhazred brought Shamir with him when he came to this kingdom. Shamir probably wouldn't directly threaten you, but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous. He can be a terrible trickster, and an ingenious spy. It's too bad we can't get our hands on Shamir's lamp," he sighed wistfully. "If we had that lamp, Alhazred and all of our problems would be solved. Wouldn't that be a fine thing?"

"It would be," I agreed, but Alexander had something else on his mind.

"You would wish to be master of such a wicked creature?"

Jollo shook his head. "Oh, Shamir isn't necessarily evil. Genies never are, you know. They only reflect their owner's heart-for good or ill. Alhazred is hardly a shining example for an impressionable genie."

I couldn't help myself, I had to make a joke. "Let's hope he never has children."

They recognized it as such, and chuckled. "So how do you propose we go about getting Shamir's lamp?" Alexander inquired.

Jollo blinked. "What? Oh, Prince Alex, I was only dreaming. I mean, the lamp is heavily guarded. It would be easier to steal Alhazred's own trousers while he's wearing them than it would be to get that lamp!"

Alexander grinned. "But surely a clown's hands are quick and agile…"

He didn't even try to look modest. "Well, yes, they are, matter of fact. But then, the theft would be detected almost immediately, and then…my poor neck…"

"Ah," I pointed out, raising a finger. "IF the theft were detected."

His eyes lit up. "Oh, I see! Yes, well, there might be a slim chance, but only that. If you could find me a replica of the genie's lamp, an EXACT replica, I might be able to make the swap. I alone might get close enough. But I couldn't tell you what to look for. I caught a glimpse of it only once. I would know it if I saw it again, but to say I cannot."

I looked over at Alexander. "Eh, we'll manage something."

"Good luck to you both, then!" he wished us. "I really must be going back to the castle. I don't think I'll be able to come back here. If we were spied on, well, it's too high a risk. I hope you understand." He spoke more to Alexander as he said, "If I see Cassima, I'll tell her I saw you. If you do ever make it to the castle, look me up, and do be careful, friends."

"No problem," I nodded, grinning. "You look after yourself, Jollo."

"And thank you for all your help," Alexander supplemented.

Jollo nodded, then left the bookstore. Once he was gone, I turned back to Alexander. "Okay, well, let's go talk to that girl."

Just past the village was a beautiful tan two-story house with rose hedges growing all over the side and across the wooden fence. Sitting close to the fence as Alexander and I walked up to the house was a lovely young girl with flowing blond hair. A thin veil sat upon her head as she tended to something, allowing me to see her features. Her skin was pale and as delicate as porcelain, with soft blue eyes and pale pink lips. Her clothes were like the ferryman's, obviously nobility clothing, but dilapidated and uncared for.

Smiling, I rested a hand on the fence, lightly fingering one of the roses there. "You have lovely roses, Miss. But perhaps, instead of a red rose, you'd like a white rose?" I proposed, looking at Alexander before her.

The maid looked up and there was fear and distrust in her eyes, but there was also clear desire for the rose Alexander offered her. Eventually, the desire took over and she accepted the rose, placing it against her nose before looking back at us. "Oh, I shouldn't, sir and miss, but it is so lovely! I have never seen a rose of white," she whispered, gazing at the flower in awe. "It looks so pale and delicate. Wherever did you find one of such a color?"

"There are many hedges of them on the Isle of the Beast, and they grow together like magic!" Alexander told her, smiling.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, truly? What an adventure it must be to see them! But I should not speak so, especially to strangers. Thank you for the rose, though, kind sir and miss." With that, she went back to her work.

I grinned at Alexander, and in that moment I knew we were thinking the same thing. Closing my fingers around Beast's ring, I went on, "Excuse me, miss, but allow me to tell you about the place where the white roses grow. The Isle of the Beast is an enchanted place, with a path running through a deep forest. The path crosses three magic blockades, set to keep any who try to visit away. At the center lives a tremendous beast."

The maid was a little startled, but intrigued. "Really? Magic blockades? How exciting! What kind of a beast? Is it very terrifying and ferocious?"

"He is a beast that walks on two legs, dresses like a prince, and speaks with the voice of a man," I answered.

She made an uncertain face. "A beast that talks and wears clothes? How is that possible? Is the beast magic, too?"

Alexander took over the narrative. "Not magical, enchanted. Beast was once a prince, but a witch trapped him in the form of a beast and set him on the island. There, he lives in a castle in the midst of a maze."

The girl looked sad. "How terrible. Imagine how lonely he must be," she lamented.

"Oh, yes," I agreed. "The level of solitude he lives in can be very lonely. Really, in that kind of life, who wouldn't be terrifying and ferocious?"

Her eyes widened. "He really exists? Oh, how it breaks my heart! If I could, I would tend to such a beast. Such a beast might find comfort in a kind face, do you not think it so?"

"Oh, absolutely," Alexander and I chorused. "You would not be afraid of him?" he went on.

"Afraid?" she echoed. "Maybe at first, but how silly of me to speak so! The roses in this little yard are the only magic I will ever see."

"We could take you there," Alexander offered. "In fact, we would owe you our lives if you would go. If you truly wished to go."

We now had the girl's undivided attention. "You are serious? I could leave here? Oh, I have always dreamt of leaving, but to actually go-this is the only home I have ever known."

"Home is a hard place to leave, even if you're unhappy there," Alexander concurred.

She got to her feet. "But I WILL go," she vowed. "If I can help him, I must go!" And she headed for the gate, pushing it open easily and walking over to us.

"Nothing you want to take with you?" I asked.

"Nothing," she responded sadly.

I withdrew the ring Beast gave me and offered it to her. "Then take this ring. It's his, and he would pleased if you wore it."

With wonder in her blue eyes, she took the ring and slid it onto her finger. "Why, it's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Thank you both kindly."

As we started for the beach, the front door of the house flew open and a snide, rather large woman, yelled, "Beauty! Where do you think YOU'RE going?!"

She responded simply, "To a place where roses grow, and to someone who truly needs me."

I wondered how Beauty was doing when the Beast stepped through the gates once again when movement in the corner of my eye caught my interest. I quickly looked around to see a salamander with sparkling gold eyes crawling past.

"I see you wear my ring," Beast observed as Beauty stood before him. "You willingly agree to spend your life here with me? Do you know what that means?"

"Yes, milord, I do," the maiden nodded. "I have been touched by your story."

"Pity alone need not sentence you to endure this face," Beast warned her.

Beauty disagreed, "Oh, but it is a gentle face, and kind."

I felt a little smile cross my face when I heard this. Most girls I knew could be really shallow and would run away screaming if they saw Beast. It was good to see not every girl had looks on their mind when meeting a potential mate.

Beast was touched. "You look at me so sweetly and are not repulsed." He exhaled, and all of a sudden, his voice had changed. Now he sounded like a human man. "By the light of your eyes, my spirit soars!"

Alexander and I were spellbound as a swirling ray of magic swept around Beast, restoring his fur to pale skin. His clothing was the same, but now his face was human, with a wig similar to Governor Swann's from Pirates of the Caribbean. "The enchantment! It is broken!" he proclaimed excitedly.

Beauty curtsied to him. "I am pleased to have served you, milord. Do you still wish me to stay?"

"What?" the prince gasped. "Speak not such nonsense, Beauty! Do you think that I have learned nothing of true love during my time here? You are my queen."

The same magic surrounded Beauty, and now she was in a gown that befitted her name, made from fine silk. "Oh!" she gasped. "My clothes! This gown!"

"How well it suits your noble heart," the prince decided.

Alexander and I walked up to the pair, and they turned to face us. "Alexander, Kit, how can I ever repay you?" Beauty inquired. I began to shake my head as she went on, "I have nothing to offer except my gratitude. But please, take these old clothes. Perhaps you will find someone in need during your travels."

"You have already repaid us by your example of courage, Beauty," Alexander promised her.

"And by your friendship, I hope," I supplemented, accepting the clothes with a thankful nod.

The prince smiled. "You will always have our friendship and loyalty, Prince Alexander, Miss Kit. But from a fellow adventurer, take some advice. If you find your true love, protect her with your life. We are all beasts without the redeeming humanity of love."

Alexander smiled as the prince went on, "And to aid you, accept my mirror. Now that my life is no longer hung in false shadows, I have no need for it. Give it to someone with nothing to fear from the truth it reveals."

Stepping forward, Alexander took the mirror and bowed his head to them. "Thank you. We wish you both well."

I bowed to them as the prince and his new queen curtsied to each other. "Come, Beauty. Let me take you home," he invited. Taking her hands, he led her over to the gate and opened it for her, following her into the maze.

"Nothing better than a happy ending, am I right?" I grinned, nudging Alexander as we walked towards the gazebo.


	12. The Crossroads

As Alexander and I walked back through the garden, Alexander collecting another white rose for Cassima, I wondered just what to do next.

The prince was clearing thinking the same thing. "So now what?"

"Hmm," I mused. "The Oracle said we could approach this more than one way. Right now, I see two options: use Beauty's old clothes to sneak into the palace and do something about the wedding there, or try to find a way to the Realm of the Dead to free those two spirits that could help us against Alhazred."

"Oh, yes," Alexander concurred as we jogged across the pond. "Well…what would you do?"

I paused, then the proverbial imaginary light bulb over my head switched on. "Since there are two of us, maybe we could go both ways."

"But that would mean splitting up," he noted.

I couldn't help myself, I had to tease him. "Why? You gonna miss me?"

"Very funny," he grumbled. "But what if one of us needs help?"

"I won't," I smiled. "Will you?"

"I hope not," he answered.

"If splitting up makes you uncomfortable, then we don't have to," I offered.

"No, no," Alexander shook his head. "I could manage. But at some point we should meet up again just to make sure one of us isn't dead or needs help."

"Done," I agreed, nodding affirmatively. "Shall I sneak into the palace, or would you rather?"

He thought for a moment, then said, "I need to see Cassima. Just to be sure she's all right."

"Makes perfect sense," I concurred. "Well then, you'll be needing these." I handed him the bundle of clothing Beauty had given me and the tinderbox. "I don't think we'll be needing the tinderbox anymore, so trade it for something you think might help you. Okay?"

"All right," he said, taking the clothes. "What about you? Will you need anything?"

"Um…oh! The vial of sacred water and mirror, if you please," I smiled.

After we traded our items, we walked back to the beach and teleported to the Isle of the Crown. Alexander let go of the map and looked at me rather quizzically.

"I'm afraid I'll be needing the map," I said, grimacing. "So…for now, looks like you're on your own, Your Highness."

"No problem," he shook his head. "You be careful, Kit."

"You as well. You're infiltrating a place where everyone is being advised to look for you," I reminded him. "Oh! I almost forgot." I retrieved the "Drink Me" bottle from my satchel and gave it to him. "You never know. It may come in handy if you see the man with gold eyes again."

"Oh, yes," Alexander nodded. "And there's plenty left. Well, until the next time we meet," he said, holding out a hand.

I firmly shook it, nodding. "See you on the other side, Prince Alex."

As he set off for the town, I unrolled the magic map and teleported first to the Isle of Wonder. Hopefully Alexander wouldn't be needing help, or the next time I came back to the Isle of the Crown, he'd be facing execution.

Alexander stopped at the tree where the nightingale perched and offered her the white rose, hoping she would deliver it to Cassima.

But this time, the bird did not return after flying off to the castle.

Doing his best to remember Kit's words of hope so as not to feel heartbroken, Alexander headed into the village and stopped at the pawn shop. He had to wonder if Kit was psychic, for standing next to the door was the strange man in the black cloak. If he really was Shamir Shamazel, no doubt he'd report straightaway to Alhazred if something happened to Alexander.

He adopted his best look of anguish while fumbling around in his inventory for the potion. "I can't go on anymore!" he cried. "Without Cassima, I'd just rather not live!"

"Prince Alex, no!" the merchant gasped.

Now the man in the cloak was paying full attention as Alexander wiped his forehead in defeat. "It's true! The vizier has beaten me. I give up! Poison is my last resort."

"Stop!"

Alexander withdrew the bottle and took a long swig from it. "I am…no-more!" His heart raced before excruciating pain overtook his whole body, and he collapsed on the floor. Clapping both hands to his face, the merchant raced out to him and listened for a heartbeat, which slowed, then stopped altogether.

"Oh, what a waste," the merchant sighed unhappily. "The poor, young fool."

Conversely, the man in the cloak was thrilled. "He's dead. He's dead! Wait until Abdul hears! He'll be so pleased," he mused quietly, dancing a little before hurrying out of the shop.  
* * *

"I told you not to pop in like that!" Alhazred reprimanded when Shamir poofed himself into his study. "You could learn to KNOCK like everybody else!"

"Sorry, Master!" Shamir giggled. "I couldn't help myself! I have great news!"

"Well, what is it?" he snarled impatiently.

"Prince Alexander is dead! He killed himself in despair over losing Cassima!" Shamir reported, positively elated.

This left Alhazred quite gobsmacked. "What? Are you positive? That young man has proven to be most devious."

"I saw the whole thing myself, Master! He was really and truly quite dead," the genie promised.

"Hmm. If what you say is true, it shall be most convenient," Alhazred noted. "You've spent enough time on that little irritant. We must start thinking about the wedding."

This delighted Shamir. "Anything, Master! Ooh, I do love weddings!"

His master smirked. "Well, we do want you to look your prettiest, don't we? Now, Shamir Shamazel, to the lamp with you!" he ordered. Prepare yourself as we discussed."

Without a second thought, Shamir poofed himself into his lamp.

The merchant started in alarm when he heard Alexander's heart lurch to life in his chest. He stood as Alexander did the same, looking just as he had before drinking the potion. "Prince Alex! But you-you were-"

Alexander smiled apologetically. "Sorry, friend. I was doing a little acting, I'm afraid," he explained.

"Ah, of course, the strange cloaked man," the merchant sighed in comprehension. "You are quite clever, and a bit too exciting for an old man!"

Once the merchant was back at his counter, Alexander headed straight for it and offered him the tinderbox. "Would you mind if I traded this in?"

The merchant smiled and took the lantern, setting it back in its original spot. "Of course, Prince Alex, please choose something in exchange from the items on the front counter."

Alexander's eyes fell on the mechanical nightingale and remembered that Jollo had been looking for Cassima's nightingale. Surely he wasn't the only one. And who knows, it could serve as a distraction if he needed it in the palace. "That mechanical nightingale looks intriguing. I believe I'll take it."

"Very good, Prince Alex," the merchant smiled as he handed Alexander the nightingale. "It is always a pleasure doing business with you. Enjoy the mechanical nightingale, and feel free to bring it back any time."

"Thank you," Alexander nodded before heading out and to the castle. Up ahead, a line of servant girls waited to file into the castle, presumably to clean up for the wedding. This was the perfect opportunity to sneak in.

Alexander ducked into the small hut off the path and quickly put on the old dress that once belonged to Beauty. It was humiliating, for sure, but there was no other way in, and he needed to at least see Cassima.

As he casually slipped to the end of the line of servants, he wondered just how Kit would get to the Realm of the Dead. If she did have to enlist the aid of the Druids, hopefully they wouldn't hurt her.


	13. The Rain Festival

When I landed on the beach of the Isle of Wonder, I quickly did my best to recall how to cast the "Make Rain Spell". "Let's see if I can remember. Salt water not from the sea, falling water, and sacred water. Okay!"

I jogged over to the swamp and took a milkweed bottle from the bush at the foot of the dogwood tree. I retracted a little when the tree actually barked at me in warning.

"Easy, old girl, I'm not gonna hurt you." My next step was to go into the garden and offer one of the baby's tears the bottle I just retrieved. The other baby's tears burst out crying, all envious of the gift. "Bingo."

Retrieving the hunter's lamp from my satchel, I held it under one of the baby's tears and smiled when the tears splashed into the lamp. Perfect. Now I had the salt water.

Then I jogged back to the beach and teleported myself to the Isle of the Beast, adding the sacred water to the lamp once my feet were firmly on the ground. "And now for the last ingredient."

I headed to Beast's garden and filled the lamp to the brim with water from the fountain there. Then I balanced the lamp in one hand and intoned the spell over it. "Clouds of thunder, shafts of light, come and sup with me tonight! Waters three have I for tea, brew a tempest now for me!"

The second I was done chanting, the lamp jumped in my hand. Hopefully that meant it worked. Now it was time for me to head to the Isle of the Mists.

I smiled a little when my feet landed on the misty beach of the Isle of Mists, but when I turned, the smile was gone.

Two cloaked figures stood on the beach, and though I couldn't see faces under the hoods, I could imagine the shock they felt upon seeing someone appear out of thin air. "Great gods!" one gasped. "Did you see that? That girl just appeared from nowhere!"

I raised a finger and drew breath to speak, but the other cloaked figure beat me to it. "Perhaps she was sent by the spirits. I see no boat."

"Um-"

"She is an intruder, no matter how she got here. Grab her!" the first one ordered as he and the other man approached me and each took an arm. Did this look like déjà vu.

"And here we go again," I groaned. "Look, if I'm interrupting something, I can leave. I mean, you saw how easily I got here-"

"I think not," the first one snarled. "Let's go." They dragged me off to the northeast where a gigantic monument resembling Stonehenge had been erected. All around a wild bonfire were robed figures identical to the ones holding me, but the one that had my interest was a fellow in a dark red robe with a leopard cub making up the hood. This must have been the fire we smelled when Alexander and I were here before.

"We found a trespasser on the beach, Arch Druid!" the second Druid told him.

"Uh oh," I groaned.

"This must be one of the foreigners we were warned about," the Druid in the dark robe surmised. "How appropriate that she should come during our Rain Festival. Place her in the sacrificial cage!"

"Wait!" I screamed. "I'm trying to rescue the princess!"

"There is an ancient Druid saying: 'A man who would save others must first save himself'," the Arch Druid told me as the Druids pushed me into the gigantic wicker cage beside the fire. As two more Druids pulled on a heavy rope that swung the cage over the bonfire, sweat began forming on my forehead. Hopefully that "Make Rain Spell" would take effect soon, because my body was crazy sensitive to heat and knowing my luck, I wouldn't pass out before the cage lit on fire.

Just as I thought of it, a tongue of flame appeared very close to my foot, setting the bottom of the cage on fire. On impulse, I wrenched off my shirt and did my best to put out the flame.

The good news? I put the fire out. The bad news? My shirt caught on fire and burned to a crisp.

"Come on," I muttered in a panic, looking up in the sky. "Why is it not raining?"

Then I felt something stirring in my satchel. _Oh, please tell me it's the lamp!_ I yelled silently as I dug through the bag.

The battered old hunter's lamp was shaking frenetically when I withdrew it from the satchel. It was burning hot to the touch and smoke was erupting from anywhere it could escape.

Thunder rumbled in the sky and I could feel a drop land on my shoulder. I was so relieved the "Make Rain Spell" was working, I cried out "Yes!"

"That girl is a powerful nature witch!" the Arch Druid declared. "By the sacred oak, let her down!"

Instantly, the Druids lowered the cage as a more furious thunderstorm overtook the area. We all huddled under the stone as best we could until the rain stopped. It only lasted a short while, but I didn't care. The spell did its job of saving my neck.

"I must apologize for our rude welcoming committee," the Arch Druid said to me, raising his eyebrows. "We've been feeling inhospitable ever since the Winged Ones stole our sacred miniature oak tree. Besides, Vizier Alhazred sent a message that we were to watch out for a pair of highly dangerous foreign assassins. I assume you are one of the two he meant."

I scoffed quietly, clamping my arms around my chest. The Arch Druid had insisted one of the Druids give me a spare cloak for the shirt I lost, but I was only a little cold from the rain. "Oh, I have no doubt of that. But I can promise you it's not within my interests to hurt anyone. I should apologize for interrupting your ceremony, but I need to act quickly."

"What is it that you seek?" the Arch Druid inquired.

"The Oracle on the Isle of the Sacred Mountain said I should speak to you about the Realm of the Dead," I answered. "She mentioned two souls in unrest there that I might be able to free."

The look on the Arch Druid's face suggested I may as well have sprouted wings. "Free souls in the Realm of the Dead? You're mad!"

I shook my head. "The souls might be able to help on my mission. For the sake of my friend Alexander, I have to do whatever I can. It really does not matter to me how much trouble I get into."

"No? And yet getting yourself killed will hardly help the princess," he sighed.

_Good point._

"But I will tell you what I know. Legend has it that it is the right of any human to challenge the Lord of the Dead in order to save his own life, or the life of another already passed. But the knowledge of how to do this was lost centuries ago.

"I have only heard of one who tried it: a young knight who came to the Land of the Green Isles from a distant land long ago," the Arch Druid narrated. "According to the story, he was determined to challenge the Lord of the Dead for the soul of his dead lover. It is said that he tamed the Lord of the Dead's horse, a black-winged demon-hearted beast named Night Mare. Night Mare sometimes flies to the human world to feed on certain noxious plants. Those unfortunate enough to see her are glad to escape with their very souls intact.

"Somehow, the knight captured Night Mare and rode off on her back, supposedly to the Realm of the Dead. But neither the knight nor his lover ever returned. If there was a means for challenge, it was lost with the knight," he sighed.

"Fascinating," I hummed, my eyes wide. "Can you tell me anything about this Lord of the Dead?"

"Ah, that is a blacker matter still!" the Arch Druid exhaled. "To the Druids, he is Samhain, lord of coldness and despair. Samhain was once a man like you or I, but he insulted the gods and was sentenced to rule the Underworld. Immortal he is, and mateless, robbed of sleep, robbed of movement, robbed of companionship. It is said that he hates all mortals even more for the mortality that he lost. That is all I know."

"Well, thank you very much, Arch Druid, for all you've told me," I thanked him, bowing my head.

He turned towards the remains of the fire. "Now look how the oak embers of our bonfire still glow hot, despite the rain. If you are bent on your course, you'll need courage that's just as impervious to the chill." He heaved another sigh. "May your luck last longer than your storm, brave one."

"Yes, that's what I hope for, too," I murmured. "Goodbye, Arch Druid, and again, thank you."

The Arch Druid and all the other Druids walked to the west, back to their village. Now that the Rain Festival was over, it was time for them to retire to bed. I was left to stand shivering in the middle of the stone circle, staring at the glowing embers of the fire that nearly took my life.

Removing the human skull I found in the catacombs from my satchel, I carefully scooped some of the embers into the skull and stowed it in the bag. Hopefully the bag wouldn't catch fire.

Since my body was more accustomed to the temperature, I released my chest and walked back to the beach. The next step to freeing those souls that could help Alexander was finding Night Mare. And I knew just where to look.


	14. The World of Endless Night

As the Arch Druid told me Night Mare fed on noxious plants, it was easy to connect the dots and travel to the Isle of the Sacred Mountain. After a very lengthy climb up the Cliffs of Logic, I arrived outside the entrance to the catacombs to see a beautiful, majestic, yet fearsome-looking black winged horse feeding from the nightshade bush.

Surely this was Night Mare.

"To work, then," I exhaled, removing the ember-filled skull from my satchel and taking out the spoiled egg the White Queen gave me. Wanting to get it over with, I cracked the egg against the skull and dropped the rotten yolk into the skull. "Ah, the smell of sulfur in the morning," I just had to groan, waving a hand in front of my face.

Now for the last ingredient. This would be particularly tricky, since the recipe called for a maiden's hair, and I didn't have any. Hoping the spell would still work, I plucked one of my own hairs and dropped it into the skull.

I took a step closer to Night Mare, shaking the skull gently to stir the contents together. Then I solemnly chanted over the skull, "Creature of night, to me succumb! Fire and brimstone leave thee numb! Purity bind thee like a chain, to do what ere I now ordain!" I couldn't help but hold my breath once I was done. Was my hair the monkey wrench in this idea?

Night Mare whinnied, her nostrils flaring at the scent of fire and brimstone. My heart stopped. Oh my head, the spell worked!

Euphorically, I put the skull down in front of me and beckoned her closer. "That's a good girl. I need a lift to your home, please," I whispered.

Unable to resist the smell, the wild horse slowly walked over to me. This close, her eyes were glassy, probably making her unaware of me being this close to her. Carefully, but quickly, I got on her back and wrapped my arms around her neck for security.

"Let's ride!" I bellowed, jerking a little when she took off into the air. The wind swept through my hair as she flew high into the sky, and I started to laugh from the feeling spreading through my torso. Then overhead, I could see the sky darkening with stars appearing everywhere.

Night Mare landed on a cold, dark surface, and I was quick to slide off her back before she bucked me off. Then she took off, presumably to return to her master or go back for more nightshade.

I exhaled a little uneasily, looking around the place. "No turning back now."

The Realm of the Dead was barren, its surreal landscape cold and gloomy. Off in the distance I could see twisted shapes, probably distant spires or mountains. Roaming everywhere were the ghoulish animated undead and the restless spirits bound to the surface by earthly cares.

Two in particular caught my interest: a beautiful, noble woman floating alongside a desperate-looking man. Their clothes were amazing, almost in the same vein as Alexander's clothes. Was it possible these were the spirits the Oracle mentioned, the ones that could help in the battle against the dark cloaked ones?

Cautiously, I approached them. "May I be so kind as to inquire who you are?"

The woman looked up from under her dark hair. "I am Queen Allaria of the Land of the Green Isles, and this beloved spirit is my husband, King Caliphim," she introduced them. "We were murdered in our beds by our trusted vizier. Like a viper, he snuck in during the night and stabbed us in our sleep. Now my husband's soul is broken, and he will not speak."

"Aha," I grinned. "So it was you the Oracle meant. Your daughter is Princess Cassima of the Land of the Green Isles, yes?"

Queen Allaria's eyes widened. "Our daughter! Have you news of the princess?"

"Yes and no," I sighed, looking down. "After escaping servitude under Mordack, she returned home safely only to hear of your deaths. As far as I know, she remains sequestered in her bedroom, mourning for you and awaiting marriage to Vizier Alhazred. I personally have not seen her."

Queen Allaria exhaled. "I am glad to hear of her return, but she will not be safe alone with that devil. Oh, that we could be there to protect her," she lamented.

King Caliphim spoke for the first time, yet his eyes were blank. "Cassima, how I failed thee…" he moaned quietly.

"My poor husband will never rest while our murder goes unavenged and our daughter is in danger," Allaria shook her head.

I rested a hand on my heart, bowing my head. "Allow me to introduce myself, majesties. My name is Kit, and I am here on behalf of my colleague, Prince Alexander of Daventry. He, too, was imprisoned under Mordack and he now quests to free Princess Cassima from Alhazred. The reason I came here is to free you and return you to the Land of the Living, so your people can learn the truth about Alhazred. No doubt your daughter needs you as well."

Just as the Arch Druid had done before, Queen Allaria looked at me as though I'd lost my mind. "But this is the Realm of the Dead! We cannot leave it, nor for that matter can you. The only one who might be able to return us all to the Land of the Living is the Lord of the Dead, but he would never help us. He has no mercy," she warned me.

"We'll never know until we try," I grinned.

"Then take this," she advised, showing me a translucent item that bore the message "Admit one". "It is my ticket to the Underworld. There you will find the Lord of the Dead. I cannot use the ticket as long as I'm chained here, and if we cannot be avenged, I will never be unchained."

"Many thanks, your majesty," I bowed again, taking the ticket from her. "This may just save us all."

"Be careful, young lady," she worried. "If you can ease my husband's torment and help our daughter, we will be most grateful."

"I promise," I nodded once, bowing once again. "Take care, majesties."

My business here was done. Time to head to the Underworld to confront the Lord of the Dead.

Along the road, I encountered another spirit who seemed highly distraught. She cried freely, apparently not caring that I was watching.

"I-Is everything all right?" I asked hesitantly. Kind of a dumb question, but how else was I supposed to break the ice?

"My son is lost!" she cried.

"Lost?" I echoed. "You mean, in this realm?"

"No," she shook her head. "His spirit is stuck in the Land of the Living, probably looking for me. But I cannot leave to go show him the way. My poor Ali!"

"Is there any way I can help?" I offered.

"Take this handkerchief," she requested tearfully. "If you get back to the Land of the Living and find him, tell him that his mother is waiting for him here." She lightly brushed her lips against it and floated towards me. "By this kiss, he'll be able to find his way to the Realm of the Dead."

"I swear to give him this once I find him," I promised.

"Thank you, thank you," she sobbed. "Oh, my Ali!" She gave me the handkerchief, as ethereal as Queen Allaria's ticket, and then went on towards the Underworld.

I took a second to stare down the path, where a mighty, ominous skull waited. It must have been the entrance to the Underworld, with a bright, pale full moon lurking above it. Probably the only source of light here.

Walking along the path that felt strangely organic under my feet, I soon arrived at the enormous skull, where four skeletons stood around it. The one closest to me handed out what looked like tickets to the passing spirits, which the spirits would then give to a uniformed skeleton. Once receiving the ticket, the uniformed skeleton would wave the spirit through the doors, guarded by two skeletons on either side of the entrance.

The skull entrance did look very macabre, but something drew me towards it regardless. Almost like a little nudge in my subconscious that eventually I'd be walking this path without flesh and blood attached to my limbs.

The skeleton passing out tickets was a gigantic figure, wearing ceremonial armor and gripping a key ring in one bony hand. The key ring was unoccupied save one small key hanging from the bottom.

Glancing off to the side, I could see an arrangement of bones, almost resembling a xylophone or piano, with two smaller bones propped up next to them. I bit my lip as I went over to the bones and picked up the smaller ones. "Let's see if I remember how to do this," I muttered, tapping one of the bones experimentally. Then I started to play the bones like a piano, giggling at my choice of song and hardly believing it was making the skeletons jiggle around in dance. It was full-on laughing when a chorus line of skeletons came out to dance.

The single key on the skeleton's key ring flew off the ring on account of its keeper moving around too much, and I grinned as the song came to an end. Being sure to put the bones back where I found them, I picked up the key and tucked it away.

"Excuse me," I said to the skeleton taking tickets. "I have a ticket. Will you let me pass?"

The guard took Queen Allaria's ticket and waved me through. "Go on! Next!"

The doors parted to allow me entry, and I walked through, trying not to shiver when I felt them close behind me. This was the true point of no return. Either I got what I came for, or I'd never leave.

Just like outside, the path felt organic under my feet, twisting every which way before descending into the darkness. Torches set on the walls illuminated the black, glossy River Styx under the path.

Off to the side lay a knight's remains, possibly the same knight mentioned in the Arch Druid's story. I walked over to the suit of armor, cringing in alarm when a spirit flew out and through me into the river below. Once that scare was over, I bent over to examine the remains. On the knight's right arm was an old tattered ribbon, something he might have worn for his lady, and a single black gauntlet without a matching one on the other hand. I could faintly make out writing on the gauntlet, so to take a better look, I carefully pulled the gauntlet off the knight's arm and examined the writing.

_Flesh may cross the portal and seek its master, Death. Flesh may go where Death has trod and challenge, like Scheherazade, He Who Reigns Beneath the Sod, to spare a mortal's breath._

A light shiver crossed my spine as I read this. But maybe this was the means to challenge the Lord of the Dead. "OK, well, better keep this with me."

The path eventually stopped, and beyond it was the River Styx, stretching on to eternity. At the banks close to me was a tall, imposing figure in a black hooded cloak in an eerie ship. Many spirits were already on the boat, staring off into the distance as if in a trance.

Feeling highly sick to my stomach, I knelt beside the banks of the river and withdrew the teacup of swamp ooze from my satchel. Working so very slowly so as not to get any on my skin, I scooped some of the river's water into the teacup and put it in a secure pouch of my satchel. Then I dug out the coins Alexander and I found in the Winged Ones' catacombs and offered them to the ferryman. "Will you accept this as fare for passage, please?"

Silently, Charon took the coins and waved me onto the boat. As soon as I was in, he pushed off, allowing the boat to coast freely across the river.

Before long, Charon arrived at a path that sprung out of the river and led to a huge gate. Getting the feeling this was my stop, I nodded once to the ferryman and carefully disembarked, stepping over the lip of the boat onto the strangely organic-feeling path.

I cleared my throat and approached the large wooden gate, standing maybe a couple of feet away as I reached out to open it. As if on command, the wood shifted to change shape, and the next thing I knew, the doors that once looked commonplace now resembled a leering skull that eyed me almost hungrily. "What touch has awakened my sleep?" the gate pondered, his voice low and filled with menace. "I smell the blood of a mortal! Reach out thine hand again, fleshy human, that I might devour it," he invited. "It has been centuries since I last ate."

Seeing a talking gate that wanted to eat me in real time was a little scary, no doubt, but the only thing running through my mind at his words was _Tch, you bloody well wish._ I cleared my throat again and spoke in the bravest, most irritated voice I could muster. "I would pass, Gate!" I informed him. "I have business with your master."

Gate's eyes sparkled. "My master and thine, human! I would be pleased to introduce thee. Only step forward and thou shall meet him shortly," he told me.

I snorted. "Yeah, no thank you. I would much rather have an audience with the Lord of the Death with my flesh still on my bones where it belongs."

"And why should I let you past, human, when I would much rather eat you?" Gate challenged, sounding a little less amused.

"Because I have been told it is possible for humans to enter Death's realm," I shot back, putting a hand on my hip. "Is there nothing I can do that will allow me to pass? Surely something comes to mind."

I could hardly believe the way I was talking. Why did everyone around here sound so archaic? I was starting to worry I was going native.

"Hmm," Gate hummed. "I seem to recall something-a trick….Perhaps…a test. Hmm….Ah, yes. 'Should a human try to pass, a riddle is Gate's wont to ask,' he quoted, grinning evilly.

Thank God he wasn't asking me to do magic or something like that. Riddles were harmless enough. "A riddle it is, then," I agreed.

"And if thou wouldst fail to answer Gate, his thirsty jaws will be thy fate?" he confirmed. I exhaled sharply through my nose and closed my eyes before nodding once in agreement. "Listen as though it meant thy life then, human, for it surely does: 'My first is foremost legally. My second circles outwardly. My third leads all in victory. My fourth twice ends a nominee. My whole is this gate's only key.'" A menacing smirk decorated his lips, as if he was under the impression I would never figure it out.

I smirked back. "The answer is love."

Gate's smirk was gone in the blink of an eye. "Thou traitor of the mortal plane!" he growled angrily. "How didst thou guess love?! That riddle should never have been solved! Love is unknown in this realm!"

Gad, did I love surprising people. "Love can never be banished, even from a place as cold and dark as this. Right now, up on the surface, there are still human hearts who refuse to let go of love."

"Enough!" Gate roared. "Burden me not with thy poetry! Pass through and quickly, before I change my mind!" His skull face melted back into the wood, transforming into the pair of doors I saw initially, then they opened.

_Where the hell did all that come from?!_ I grimaced to myself as I scurried through the open gate.

The hall of the Lord of the Dead was massive, an incredible feeling of openness due to the Sea of Souls below and beyond the path I was standing on. At the end of the path was a massive throne where an enormous figure sat, presumably the Lord of the Dead. He would gesture on occasion to the spirits that floated before him, his lips moving in words I couldn't hear (and honestly I didn't want to). He seemed to be woven into his throne, with what looked like chains further strapping him to it. So the Arch Druid was right: this was a task he was bound to for all of eternity.

Two shrouded guards stood on either side of the path. I couldn't tell if they were watching me, but it felt like they were. "Excuse me," I cleared my throat. "Is it possible to have an audience with his Lordship?"

Silently, they walked me down the path to the Lord of the Dead.

The Lord of the Dead was far more intimidating up close than I realized. I was only a little nervous, but standing before him, just like the entrance to the Underworld, did not fail to remind me that my own mortality was fleeting. His eyes were dark, and empty of emotion, and more importantly, mercy. If he really was human once, all traces of it were gone.

He peered down at me curiously. "Why have you entered my domain still wearing your flesh?" he demanded slowly. "If you are so anxious for Death, you might have found it easily enough in the Land of the Living. But since you are here, you are most welcome to stay. Kiss my hand, and you will be one with the spirits. There will be no pain," he promised.

Frowning, I extracted the gauntlet from my satchel and held it up so he could see it. "I am not here to die, but to demand my right of challenge! I respectfully challenge thee, Death, by throwing down this gauntlet," I declared, throwing the armlet onto the path. "'Flesh may cross the portal and seek its master, Death. Flesh may go where Death has trod and challenge, like Scheherazade, He Who Reigns Beneath the Sod, to spare a mortal's breath."

The spirits around us were shocked. "She hath the gauntlet!" one cried.

"Impossible!" more chorused.

"She challenges Death!" one gasped.

Balling a fist, the Lord of the Dead rammed it on the arm of his throne. "Who are you to challenge Death?" he snarled.

"A mortal female of flesh and blood is all I need to be, my Lord," I answered. I wondered if it was just the atmosphere that was making me talk like this, but whatever. As long as I got my point across, it didn't really matter. And more importantly, if I didn't keep talking like this, I'd be happy.

"And what is it that you seek with this challenge? The soul of some dead knight?" he inquired, sounding bored and irritated at the same time.

"I seek the souls of King Caliphim and Queen Allaria of the Land of the Green Isles," I responded.

He fixed me with an incredulous expression, but the degree of disbelief was greatly toned down. "You would save two human souls and emerge alive from this realm yourself? That shall be a difficult challenge indeed. The tomb does not open its doors lightly."

I rammed a fist into my hand. "Either all three of us go together, or none at all."

"Very well," the Lord of the Dead hummed. "Then let me think of an appropriate task. Ah. Yes, I have it now. Your challenge is this: For thousands of years, I have sat upon this throne. I have heard every sad tale that can be told by human lips. I have seen tragedies that ended empires, injustices that defy reason, love that would light the very stars turn cold and hard. I have seen torments that cannot possibly be born, and yet must be for centuries. This thing I have never done-I have never shed a tear. Make me cry, thou woman of flesh. That is my challenge."

I raised an eyebrow as the spirits expressed their disbelief. "Make Death cry?!"

"Sooner could she turn sea to stone!" one declared.

"Or fire to ice!" another supplemented.

_Piece of cake_, I laughed silently as my fingers closed around the frame of the mirror Beast had given Alexander. "Well, my Lord, if your existence has been all that you say it has, then truth alone will be my sword," I proclaimed, holding up the mirror and pointing it right into his face.

His expression changed, and this time, there was no missing it. His eyes had widened somewhat, and his jaw was slack. Clearly the mirror was doing its job. Judging from his look of surprise and fear, what he saw in the mirror was no laughing matter. I could hear the faint sound of wailing souls, the clink of shackles colder and more immutable than any forged by man, moans resulting of a world of thirsts that could never be quenched. I felt the mirror tremble in my grasp, and thanked my lucky stars that I couldn't see what was on it, but the Lord of the Dead was transfixed. Reflected in his eyes were things long forgotten: his enslavement to his throne while still a man, the years of watching misery and horror, and growing ever more numb to it. The seep of his own humanity, the slow growth of a new thing altogether which became that which he was now, an existence that had no possibility of redemption or end. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the surrounding spirits draw away in pain, shrieking in agony.

"Take it away!" one begged.

"Make it stop!"

After a second, there was the sound of shattering glass, and a single gray tear dripped from Death's eye. "Truth is, indeed, a terrible thing," he muttered. "I have worn this mantle for so long, I had forgotten its dreadful weight. You shall take the souls and leave as I agreed. You have been granted a stay from this inevitable reality. I almost…envy you. Find the souls she has claimed, and bring them to me," he ordered.

I stood aside as King Caliphim and Queen Allaria were brought before the Lord of the Dead. It was almost too easy.

"King Caliphim and Queen Allaria, I presume," the Lord of the Dead greeted. "Your hero has won you a few more years of mortality. May your souls be more prepared for their rest when you return." He held up one hand and surrounded the monarchs with a brilliant light.

When the light faded, the King and Queen were no longer see-through. They nodded solemnly to the Lord of the Dead. "Thank you, my Lord. I hope that they will," Queen Allaria concurred.

His eyes found me next. "And you, woman of flesh. My steed shall take the three of you back to the Land of the Living. Tell her where it is you wish to go," he told me. Sure enough, Night Mare came flying into the chamber, landing gracefully at the head of the path. "Until we meet again, then. I assure you, we will meet again," he promised darkly.

"With all due respect, my Lord, I hope that day is a long ways off from now," I admitted to him, smiling apologetically.

"It is never as long as you might wish, mortal," he responded. "Now, be gone."

"Yes, milord," I bowed my head to him as King Caliphim helped Queen Allaria onto Night Mare's back. I climbed on behind them, then Night Mare lifted into the air and flew off into the night.


	15. Into the Belly of the Beast

The black steed landed on the shores of the Isle of the Crown, and I slid off before looking inquisitively at the King and Queen. "Are you coming, majesty?"

"Alhazred's treachery must be handled carefully, Kit," King Caliphim frowned. "Allaria and I must go gather our allies and form a plan. Please, watch over Cassima. Make sure she comes to no harm. We will return as soon as we can to take back all that has been stolen from us."

I smiled. "Have no fear, Sire. I have a feeling Alexander would sooner die than allow any harm to befall your daughter."

"Thank you," Queen Allaria thanked me. "Your friend's love for our daughter must be deep indeed for you to have undertaken Death itself for our sakes."

"Indeed," King Caliphim nodded.

"Well, best of luck to you, majesties," I wished them, "and may you all live long together as a family when this is all over."

They nodded back, then King Caliphim spurred Night Mare back into flight.

When I walked into the village, the old man peddling new lamps was still seated at the side of the road. Extracting the hunter's lamp from my satchel, I held the bag against my chest for modesty purposes as I cleared my throat. "Pardon me, sir, but I have an old lamp here that might interest you."

The old man stood, his pole of new lamps over his shoulder as he took the hunter's lamp. "Ah, an old lamp! And what a nice traditional design, too," he remarked. "Take your pick of my new lamps."

I leaned in to examine the six choices. Each lamp was unique, and shining with newness. One was squat and red with a corked top, the next was green with handles on its sides similar to a sugar bowl's, and the third was like a lantern, made from flowery blue paper and open at both ends. The fourth lamp looked identical to the hunter's lamp, but it was polished and the spout was plugged with brass. The fifth lamp was blue, with a long thin neck and a cork-like cap. The last one looked Oriental, and the papered fabric that made it up was highly decorated.

Even if blue wasn't my favorite color, I would have gone with the fifth lamp anyway. Something just told me to get it. So I pointed to the blue lamp with my free hand and asked, "That one, if it's all right."

The lamp merchant smiled a gentle but crooked smile. "Ah, a fine choice, my child. Here is your new lamp." He handed me the lamp, which I stowed in my satchel. "Good day, and I thank you, ma'am."

"Good day," I echoed politely.

Repositioning the pole of lamps on his shoulder, the old man walked down the street towards the fork in the path. Just outside the village, I saw him put down his pole, pick up the hunter's lamp, and rub it. Giggling when I saw him pout, I turned to head for the castle when the door to the pawn shop flew open. "Miss Kit!" the owner called to me.

"Good afternoon," I responded, still clutching the satchel to my chest.

"Come inside, child, you must hear this! It's absolutely incredible!" he urged, waving me to the shop.

"So Alexander drank a magic potion that temporarily stopped his heart?" I grinned, my chin resting on my interlocked fingers. "That's incredible."

"I would not have believed it, either, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," he shook his head. "But Miss, if I may be so bold, what happened to you? You look like you have been through a lot."

I couldn't help myself, I laughed. He was right in a way: what I'd just done gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "to hell and back". "Well, you could say that. I do have a question, though." Removing my earrings, I offered them to him. "Would it be possible to trade these for that painter's brush? It's the only valuable item I have left."

"Please, Miss, take it if you like," he invited. "You and Prince Alex were the only business I had in recent years."

"Precisely why I'd like to keep this strictly business," I smiled, offering the earrings once again. "Please, sir?"

The shop merchant looked at my earrings, then at me before closing his hand around the painter's brush. "Here is my ultimatum, Kit. You may take this in exchange for one of your earrings."

"But sir-" I started.

"One of these on its own is lovely enough, and the crystal is very valuable," he reasoned, taking one of the earrings. "I should say one is more than enough for a simple brush."

I smiled sheepishly. "Thank you very much, sir, for your generosity."

"Of course, child," he nodded, placing my earring under his counter before handing me the painter's brush. "May your painting go well, and feel free to bring the brush back at any time."

With one last grateful nod, I walked out of the pawn shop and back to the castle. "Now to bust up a wedding," I cackled quietly, descending the hill from the nightingale's tree to the castle.

Walking past the main gate, I rounded the side of the castle. This side was quite shady on account of the trees and building looming overhead. It was also quite abandoned: a perfect place to work some magic.

Carefully, I removed the teacup filled with swamp ooze and River Styx water from my satchel. I then took out the large black horse feather, dipped it into the teacup, and carefully stirred the contents together. My eyes widened when I saw the black color of the feather draining into the teacup, mixing with the swamp ooze and black water. Once there was no more color to the feather, the mix hardened to a thick, yet still liquid, state, just like paint.

Tossing the feather aside, I removed the painter's brush from my satchel and dipped the bristles inside. I then took the opportunity to paint the shape of an arch on the castle wall.

The next step was to wave a hand at the painted arch and intone quietly, "Magic paint, black as ink, bring to life what I think! Make it real, what I draw, according to this spoken law!" In the blink of an eye, a wooden door with a black steel handle had formed in the arch I painted. Finally a door into the castle I didn't need permission to go through.

Pulling firmly on the door, I opened it and stepped into the castle basement. The second I was through, the door melted into the wall. So much for an easy exit.

The castle interior was much cooler in comparison to the temperature outside. The area felt very spacious because of the arch domed ceilings, and on the opposite wall were three wooden doors, presumably leading to dungeons. Around the corner I could see a very generic-looking suit of armor, and overhead were stained-glass windows, filtering incoming light through many colors. Next to me was a door that had no handle or keyhole.

First, I headed to one of the basement doors and cautiously slipped inside. It was empty, which I was thankful for.

I soon had to rectify that thought when a little boy, pale as a sheet, appeared on the cot. He looked very upset as he picked his face up out of his hands. "Mother? Mother, where are you?" he sobbed before pushing his face back into his hands.

An idea sparked, and I stepped closer to the cot. "You okay, sweetie?"

The boy picked his head up out of his hands again to look back at me. "I'm lost! I can't find my mother!" he cried. "I don't know why she would just leave me here! I've been alone ever so long."

"Ah, so it was your mother I met at the Realm of the Dead," I reasoned, getting the ghostly handkerchief out of my bag and showing it to him. "She asked me to give you this and tell you she's waiting for you there."

He floated up into the air when he saw the handkerchief. All traces of sorrow vanished as he proclaimed, "It's Mama's! It even smells like her! I can feel her now! I know where to go!"

"Hold up a second," I interjected. "Before you go, is there anything you know about this castle?"

He nodded once. "I like to play in secret places. In the basement, behind the man of steel is a door. Nobody except me knows it's there anymore," he informed me before swooping down on me and seizing the handkerchief. As he drifted through the cell door, he called softly, "Farewell…"

Now hopefully both spirits could rest in peace once they found each other again. As I had no further business in the dungeon cell, I slipped out and walked into the other hall of the basement.

This hall was different from the other. Only one door was in the wall opposite me, and to my left was a staircase leading up to the main floor of the castle. Deciding to investigate beyond the stairs later, I cautiously peeked through the door on the wall. Hopefully no hostiles inside.

When I saw Jollo seated a desk on the other side of the room, I opened the door and smiled. He looked up, saw me, and returned the smile as he waved me over to his desk. "Kit! I can't believe it! How did you get into the castle? Were you wearing that before?" he added.

I chuckled weakly. "Long story. You haven't seen Alexander, have you?"

"I didn't even know he was here," he responded, putting down his writing utensil. "You both run a terrible risk of being here, though. The castle is crawling with guard dogs, especially today. The vizier will have your hide if he finds you!"

"Well aware, Jollo," I nodded. "But you ought to know by now how much all this wedding business upsets Alexander. He wouldn't care about the risks."

The court jester nodded wisely. "Of course, you're right. Young love. I forgot what heartburn it is. But what is anyone supposed to do about it?"

"Between you and me," I told him, "the sound of someone as pure and innocent as Cassima marrying a creep like Alhazred doesn't appeal to me either. He murdered her parents, who's to say he wouldn't do the same to her?"

"Kit, even though I have my suspicions, no one knows for sure how King Caliphim and Queen Allaria died," he whispered.

Preferring to keep the King and Queen's revival a secret until the moment was right, all I said to him on that matter was, "Just trust me on this, Jollo. Alexander no doubt wants to delay the wedding as much as he can if he can't stop it, and I need to help him. I'm not sure he can do it alone."

"Is that all?" he chuckled. "And here I was expecting something dangerous!"

I rolled my eyes, sighing through my nose as a little smile appeared. "I'd worry more about yourself than us. Would you happen to know where the princess is? Maybe if I find her, I find Alexander."

"As far as I know, she's still in her bedroom upstairs. You'd never make it up there, though," he shook his head. "The guard dogs are everywhere, and they're very loyal to the Crown. Unfortunately, right now the Crown means Alhazred. If we had proof of something truly afoul, the guard dogs might listen. As it is, they're YOUR enemies, not his."

I couldn't help a little laugh from escaping. "Honestly, Jollo, with all the people breathing down our necks since we got here, I'm starting to get the feeling we've never been welcome."

Jollo laughed exuberantly, wiping a tear from his eye. "You have a good sense of humor, little lady. And I can see there's no putting you or Prince Alex off, so best of luck to you. I'll be here if you need anything."

"Actually, Jollo," I smirked, going into my satchel for the new lamp, "if you're still up to swapping the genie's lamp with a replica, then I have something here for you." He looked up once again when I took the lamp out of the bag and showed it to him. "Does it look right?"

While remaining in his seat, Jollo bounced with joy as he took the lamp from me and set it on his desk. "Why, yes! It's an EXACT replica! That's amazing! How did you guess?"

I giggled. "Call it a feeling."

He nodded once. "Hmm. I'll have to wait for the right moment, mind you, but I should be able to get close enough to swap this for the real thing, and none shall be the wiser! Now you shall see Jollo's skill!" he beamed, a glint in his eye.

"No doubt your hands are far mightier than any sword Alexander or myself could ever wield," I smiled, resting the back of my head in my hands.

He laughed, getting to his feet. "Go ahead and do as you've planned and let me worry about swapping the lamp. If I accomplish the trickery, I'll manage to get the lamp to you somehow. You never fear."

Against my better judgment, I leaned in close to him and whispered, "When you do get the lamp, head for the antechamber of the throne room and go all the way to the top. I have a feeling you'll find us there when the time comes. Best of luck, friend, and thank you for all your help," I supplemented, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Aw, shucks," he chuckled, a little embarrassed. "I'd do anything for the princess." With that, he left the room.

Deciding to check out the hidden passageway the little boy mentioned, I walked out of Jollo's spacious, cozy room and into the north hall of the basement. All that was here was the suit of armor the little boy mentioned, and a single wooden door with a brass plaque bearing the words "Guard Room". Steering clear of that room for now would be wise.

Instead, I examined the suit of armor. It was a very garden-variety medieval hunk of iron and steel, with a right arm that was somewhat lifted and bent at a ninety-degree angle. I closed both hands around the arm and pulled down before yanking the arm back up. At that moment, a part of the wall slid aside to reveal an opening into the wall. Quickly, I snuck inside before anyone could notice me.

The inside of the secret passageway was a little spacious, but not too much. The landing was covered with dust, and the walls were in unbelievably bad condition. In front of me was a staircase leading up to the second floor, and to my right was a large chink in the wall. Through it, I could hear faint voices and leaned in for a better listen.

"Cap'n," one was saying, "I've been hearing rumors from the guards who've been watching the princess. They say lately she's been pounding on her door and begging to be let out. Ain't none of my business, sir, but news like that is upsetting the other dogs. Ain't no guard in the castle who'd willingly keep the princess anywhere she don't wanna be."

A voice I recognized as Saladin's growled thoughtfully. "Alhazred claims that a foreign intruder is here to assassinate her. That's why she's got to be kept under lock and key right up until the wedding."

This intruder must have been me, since Saladin was familiar with Alexander. Therefore telling Saladin someone he'd never seen before was a foreign assassin made more sense.

"Call me an old dog that can't learn new tricks, but I say the princess should be the one giving the orders!" a second guard proclaimed.

"Alhazred has been in charge for months, what with the King's death and Cassima's mourning," Saladin reminded him. "Tonight, the wedding will seal it and there's nothing we can do about it. Like him or not, he's our liege. Need I remind you of your oath to the Crown?"

"Aye, we've an oath," the second guard agreed. "For the sake of the princess, we'll not be forgetting it. He just better treat her well!"

_Don't hold your breath on that one_, I thought, my eyebrows knitting together.

"Speaking of the Vizier, what do you reckon he's keeping in that magical room of his?" the first guard wondered.

The second guard corrected him, "It's not a magic room, it's just the door he's enchanted somehow! I say he's still got the royal treasury in there, along with whatever else he's so eager to protect. Not even the Court Treasurer is allowed in there anymore."

Possibly the door without a handle I first noticed in the basement. If the only way in was known only to the Vizier, then I'd be willing to guess he had some really dirty secret in that room.

"I heard him in the hall the other day," the first guard muttered confidentially. "He was speakin' to that door-black magic, is what I say! I heard him say 'Ali', but then Bay came up and started yappin at me."

"Enough!" Saladin barked. "It is not our place to question the practices of our liege, no matter how strange. The wedding will be starting soon. Report to the throne room when you hear the music start."

A little smirk twisted my lips as I turned to the staircase and began climbing it. So an enchanted door you had to speak to…intriguing.

When I arrived at the top, I could hear faint sounds of a woman crying and ignored them for the time being. I chose instead to walk down the hallway leading who knew where. Around the corner was a rather large chink in the wall, and the faintest sounds of scratching could be heard through it.

Peering through it, I could see a man writing at a desk. Though I'd never personally seen Vizier Alhazred, somehow I could tell it was him.

He muttered as he wrote, occasionally stopping to reapply ink to his feathered pen. "Dear Shadrak, salutations from the Society of the Black Cloak, etc. etc. My long preparations are about to come to fruition. In a matter of minutes, I will wed the lovely," here he allowed himself a victorious, evil laugh, "Cassima. Once I've established my power and my crown, I can stage another accident."

My heart stopped. If only Alexander had heard this: it not only proved he did murder the king and queen, but it also told me he was planning something along the same lines for Cassima.

"The princess has proven infuriatingly stubborn, as you know. She's becoming quite a dangerous little thorn in my side. In a way, it is a shame I have to kill her. She is lovely, and would be amusing to keep around, but I can't risk her talking treason to one of the guards. So far, I've managed to keep her locked away, but I can't continue that forever."

_You're bloody well right it won't continue. Once Alexander hears about this, he's going to pulverize you._

"Well, on to it now. I'd send her to you, but as you know, I had no luck in doing so with Mordack. I close in triumph, KING Abdul Alhazred." He put down the quill and stood. "And now to see to the final preparations. It's almost time for the wedding." He walked out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

No more time for pussyfooting. Now I had to find Alexander, tell him what I just heard, and help him stop Alhazred before it was too late.


	16. Stopping the Wedding

Quickly but quietly, I dashed down the passage hallway and came to a dead end. But in the wall to my left, I could see the faint outline of a doorway and carefully pressed on it. Reacting to my touch, the wall slid away, revealing a dark entryway. When I stepped inside, I could see the darkness was on account of the numerous black cloaks in the space.

Two things clicked in my mind. First of all, Alhazred had mentioned a "Society of the Black Cloak", suggesting that he and the Shadrak he was writing to belonged to this society of dark wizards (as Mordack had also been mentioned). Second of all, I remembered the Oracle telling Alexander all she could see of his enemy was a black cloak.

Granted, you didn't have to be a genius to figure the second out, but still.

Now I was worried. If Alexander was forced into battle with Alhazred, it was possible Alhazred would have the upper hand. But who knows, maybe the two of us working together could bring him down.

I could see the faintest speck of light and peered through the small keyhole. I couldn't see much of the room beyond what I assumed was a wardrobe, but I did see something that made my mouth open in a silent gasp.

Alexander was bent over in front of a trunk, and he looked like he was having trouble opening it. Thank God. So he was okay and not in the slammer.

Now that I knew Alexander was all right, a mischievous thought sparked in my mind, and I discreetly slipped out of the wardrobe as he glared at the nail in his hand. "You ever hear of something called a skeleton key?" I mused, taking out the bone key I'd retrieved in the Underworld and twirling it between my fingers.

He looked up in alarm when he heard me speak, then let out a sigh as he stood up. "Kit, you're all right."

"Good to see you are, too," I nodded, walking up to him and offering the key. "Try this."

He nodded back while taking the key and pushing it into the trunk's lock, giving me a second to look around the room. It was a very masculine bedroom with polished marble walls, and next to us was a canopy bed with silk bedclothes and sheets. This must have been Alhazred's room: it was too luxurious for a servant.

Next to the fireplace in the corner of the room was a wooden table with an ebony box atop it. Wondering what was in it, I walked past Alexander as he unlocked the trunk and opened it to examine the box.

"Did you speak to the Druids?" he asked me.

"Yep," I nodded, opening the box. Inside was a bottle of black ink that was nearly empty and dry, some ivory dice, an old brush, and a piece of paper with the word "ZEBU" printed on it. Maybe this was the other half of the password to Alhazred's magic door.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" he followed up with, turning towards me with a letter in his hands.

"No," I shook my head, turning to him. "But not for lack of trying. They tried setting me on fire," I explained when he blinked.

"Is that why you wear that?"

"Yes, actually," I chuckled. "What have you got?"

"Oh," he blinked down at the letter before reading it aloud. "'Greetings to a brother of the Black Cloak. I was sorry to hear of great Mordack's death, though he was a bit of a ninny at chess. It seems the plans for that little kingdom of yours are coming along. I must congratulate you on your handling of the King and Queen.'" He looked up from the letter and his eyes were wide. "So Alhazred murdered Cassima's parents?"

I nodded. "But that's why I went to the Realm of the Dead, to free them as the Oracle suggested. So they could tell the Land that Alhazred did this to them."

He furrowed his brow and went back to the letter. "'Isolating the islands so that no protest could develop was another brilliant stroke. It looks like there's not much left to stand in your way. Do as I recommended with the girl, and you shall have your crown.' That fiend," he growled.

"This is why we need to hurry," I told him. "I think Alhazred plans to kill Cassima once they're married and he has no further use for her."

He looked back at me, and his brown eyes were on fire. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Thought you might say that," I chuckled, walking back over to the wardrobe. "There's a less chance of being discovered if you come this way."

"I should put this back first," he said, holding up the nail. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he explained, "If someone notices a painting that was once hanging on the wall sitting on the floor, it could look suspicious."

"Okay," I frowned. "But for God's sake, be careful. I don't know if I'd be able to save you without getting caught myself."

He nodded back, then looked through the keyhole to make sure no one was passing by before slipping out the door. I waited on tenterhooks for a shout or an alarm of some kind, but luck decided to favor the prince and a few minutes later, he slipped back inside.

"Shall we?" I murmured, climbing back into the wardrobe with Alexander following me. Being sure to shut the door behind him, he slid through the secret doorway into the passageway and we headed back down the hallway.

At the end of the hallway, his ears perked up when he heard the faint sounds of crying and walked over to the opposite wall. A chink was right at his eye level, so he took a look inside. I leaned sideways to see his eyes widening, and he gulped. "Psst! Princess Cassima!" he whispered.

So it was Cassima who'd been crying. "What? Who's there?" she gasped.

"It is I, Alexander!" he whispered back, his voice greatly hushed, but still audible. "I'm here behind this wall."

I pressed a fist to my mouth, but I couldn't prevent a little snicker from escaping my lips. "Smooth."

Apparently, she didn't hear me, or was too concerned with the male voice outside her wall. "Alexander?" She came over to investigate, and I could barely make out the face of a beautiful, dark-haired maiden. Just like the one the Oracle showed us before. "It really is you!" she gasped, her eyes widening. "I knew you were close by, but how did you get inside the castle WALLS?"

"It's a long story, and not important now," Alexander shook his head. "You did get my ring?"

She didn't answer right away, and I could faintly see a blush on her cheeks. "Oh yes," she nodded, her voice warm, "it has brought me such comfort, Alexander, to know you were close by and had not forgotten….But you shouldn't be here! You're only endangering yourself!"

"I'm afraid I'm not the only one in danger," he frowned sadly. "Princess, be brave! We've heard such vileness today, such evil!"

"We?" Cassima echoed.

Alexander took one step to the side so I could look the princess in the eye. "Your Majesty," I bowed my head. "This is a real honor. My name is Kit, I've been helping Alexander ever since he got here."

"You have?" she asked, eyeing me curiously.

"Oh yes." I leaned close to the chink and whispered, "Just between you and me, princess, he's certainly been dogged in his quest to see you. You obviously mean a great deal to him."

Both she and Alexander blushed as the Daventry prince grumbled, "Kit!"

I shrugged at him, putting on my best innocent face. "It's true. But at any rate, time is running short. He was right before; you're in great danger as well."

"What do you mean, Kit?" she inquired.

Alexander took over the narrative. "Alhazred. He is not what he appears."

I'd be willing to bet he wasn't expecting a little smile to surface on the lovely woman's lips. "I've known that for years, Alexander, but with Mother and Father gone, I'm afraid there's no stopping him." Once again, I decided not to mention anything about my efforts in the Realm of the Dead. "But tell me of what evil you speak! I have been so afraid for my kingdom, not knowing what he plans!" she fretted, pressing her hands firmly against her wall.

"The kingdom is in trouble," Alexander confirmed, "but the real threat at the moment is to YOUR safety, princess! Alhazred has such plans. You don't want to wed Alhazred, do you?" The question was uncertain, and filled with worry.

"How can you ask? Of course not!" she gasped, her eyes wide with incredulity.

Alexander hovered one of his hands beside the chink, and I could tell he really wanted that hand to touch her. "If you do not wish to marry him, Cassima, you SHALL not, I promise you. But we must get you out of here now. You are not safe."

"I'm not sure that's wise, or even possible," I advised. He looked over at me quizzically, and I explained, "First of all, we can't really do much behind a wall, can we? And more importantly, I'd wager that Princess Cassima just vanishing from her room would not go unnoticed."

"Kit's right, Alexander," Cassima agreed. "Abdul would tear the castle apart. You shall have to do what you can to delay his plans from your end."

"I can't just leave you here!" he told her. I did my best not to frown in sympathy. It was almost heartbreaking how in love with this princess he was.

"Alexander, do not despair for me. I have been safe in this room for nearly six months now. Abdul can be in no hurry, whatever he plans. After all, I'm to be his bride, am I not?" Frowning at the crestfallen look on Alexander's face, she went on confidentially, "I have been planning too, you see. I believe I can escape. If I can only get a chance to lay my hands on a weapon, there might be an opportunity in the hustle of the wedding."

"But I…" he started.

She hushed him. "Just a moment more, then you must go! Let us not waste time with words, please. Let me just look at you, dear Alexander."

A moment passed in silence as the two lovers watched each other sadly but with longing, then I cleared my throat. "Pardon me for interrupting the moment, but I have something here that may be of use to you, princess." I extracted Lady Celeste's dagger from my satchel and held it by the blade, the hilt resting in the chink. "You never know. It might come in handy."

She took the dagger and held it up excitedly. "Why, it's perfect! This is just the sort of thing I've been looking for! Thank you, Kit, I'll keep it close and use it if I must."

I nodded back as Alexander held out the letter he'd gotten from Alhazred's trunk. "I found this letter in the Vizier's bedroom. I…I think you should know what it says," he told her, passing the letter through the chink.

Cassima read the letter, her eyes widening before she let out a gasp. "I can't believe it. I had my suspicions, but this confirms everything! Alexander, you must keep the letter. You might have a chance to show it to someone who can help you stop Alhazred. Just be careful." She returned the letter, then looked back into her room. "Oh no! Someone's coming!" she gasped. Sure enough, the faint but unmistakable rattle of a lock being tampered with reached my ears. "Hurry!" she urged us quietly. "Step away before they see you!"

Alexander and I did as she suggested only to hear the sounds of a scuffle and Cassima letting out a sharp cry before silence. Alexander looked through the chink and turned back to me, his face pained. "She's gone. We have to hurry."

"We also have to be careful," I reminded him. "Come on, there's one room I have to check."

I led Alexander back down to the basement, stepped out of the secret passageway, and walked into the hallway where the door without a handle waited. Clearing my throat, I spoke quietly, but clearly, "Ali Zebu." On command, the door swung open.

As Alexander followed me into the interior of the Castle of the Crown treasury, I took everything in with wonder. The room's tone was soft, but secure. Countless trunks were stacked against the walls, no doubt once kept very well by King Caliphim and now in the hands of Alhazred. A skylight was set into the domed ceiling, allowing the sunshine to creep its way into the room.

My attention was mainly on a low table in the middle of the room. I could see there were items on it, but they were covered by a velvet pink drapery. Moving closer to examine the covering, I could see the initials A.A. embroidered into it.

Alexander also came over for a look. "A.A. That must stand for Abdul Alhazred."

"What I want to know is what's hiding under it," I grunted, sweeping the drapery aside and raising my eyebrows at the four items on the table.

Alexander shook his head in disgust. "That blackguard," he growled.

All the items were different in shape, and a few of them looked pretty old. Closest to me was a smiling stone that was emitting a faint, high-pitched noise. Next to Alexander was a coat-of-arms with what looked like the head of a beast on the crest. Next to the coat-of-arms was a miniature oak tree that looked very old, but very well-cared for. And draping off the side of the table was a fleece woven from golden silk. These must have been the other islands' sacred treasures.

"Beast said that his coat of arms was stolen by the Druids. This must be it," Alexander noticed, holding his chin in one hand.

"And that oak tree belongs to the Druids," I told him. "They said the Winged Ones had stolen it." I didn't add it was part of their justification for trying to burn me alive.

"And that fleece must belong to the Winged Ones. And they thought the Isle of Wonder had taken it!" he followed up with.

"And lo and behold, the Isle of Wonder Singing Stone," I finished, pointing to the stone next to me. "I understand now. This is how Alhazred isolated the islands, by stealing, or having Shamir do it, the one thing that each island treasured, and then spread word to the islands that another was responsible."

"But…what would Alhazred have to gain by causing the islands to hate each other?" the prince wondered.

I exhaled, tapping my chin with a knuckle. "Here's my theory. Alhazred murdered the King and Queen as part of his plan to get the crown. But just saying it was an accident wouldn't be enough to make the islands this vulnerable, so stealing the treasures was the next step. Not only does it cover his tracks, it makes the other islands forget all about it and how suspicious it was!"

"Murderous swine," Alexander spat. "Now he shall pay."

"Hey, keep your wits about you," I warned him. "Losing your head in a situation like this will only make things worse." When his angry brown eyes looked up at me, I went on, "We will stop him. But you've got to stay in control of yourself." Then faintly, outside the treasure room, I could hear organ music and quickly beckoned him over as I headed for the door. "We better hurry. That sounds like wedding music."

Footsteps could be heard from the north hall, heading in our direction, so I grabbed Alexander by the wrist and led him around to the east hall, where I'd found Jollo's room. After making sure there were no guards in the hall, I led Alexander up the staircase and into the castle foyer. Thankfully, there were no guards in there as well. They all must have been in the throne room for the wedding.

The music was coming from behind the massive twin doors that I presumed led to the throne room. But before either of us could walk towards the doors or think of a plan, they opened and through it walked Captain Saladin. As it was my first time seeing the guard dog up close, I allowed myself a quick second to marvel at his beautiful coat. He was of the Collie breed, in a suit coat as nice as Alexander's.

I had to stop admiring when he drew his sword and pointed the tip at Alexander's throat. "Prince Alexander, here?! And you must be the foreign assassin the vizier mentioned! He will have my head for allowing you both within a mile of the royal wedding!" Then he faced Alexander again. "Since you are of noble birth, I will give you five seconds to explain your presence here before killing you. I warn you, it had better be good!"

I studied Captain Saladin as Alexander begged, "Captain Saladin, consider! I know you cannot be blind to the vizier's true nature!" The guard dog almost looked like he wanted a reason to spare Alexander. As I was nothing more than a foreigner in his eyes, I probably could not expect the same mercy.

Saladin growled, "My personal feelings have nothing to do with it. I serve the Crown!"

"The Crown being Alhazred at the moment, who does not truly deserve it, nor have it," I told Saladin. "Before Alhazred was here, the Crown meant the King and Queen, yes?"

"The King and Queen are dead!" he snapped at me.

"But they're survived by their daughter," I reminded him. "If you have any love for her, you will listen to us and believe us when we say allowing your princess to marry the vizier is the biggest mistake anyone can make right now. Alexander, show him the letter," I told the Daventry prince.

Without hesitation, Alexander withdrew the letter and offered it to Saladin, the latter snatching it in the blink of an eye. "Let me see that!" He read the letter, not removing his sword point from Alexander's throat. Though I had never been too great at reading expressions, particularly a dog's expression, it wasn't hard to see the noble guard's face darken with rage. "This is treason," Saladin growled. "I'll have his throat! But how do I know this letter is not a forgery? You could have written this yourself!" he accused Alexander.

"Captain, don't you see it yet?" I shook my head. "Alhazred has no regard for the Land, nor its citizens. All he cares about is the crown, and I heard from his own lips that he plans to dispose of Cassima once the wedding is over. You've served Cassima and her family for many years, no? A guard such as yourself would never disregard the matter if his princess's life was in danger."

Saladin lowered his eyes as he sheathed his sword. "It is true," he conceded. "I have had my suspicions about the vizier, especially when King Caliphim and Queen Allaria died. But I have seen Cassima with him several times. She appears to be quite happy, even enthusiastic. I don't believe she could love him if he truly were so wicked."

Alexander was seething next to me from a combination of disbelief and fury at our inactivity. "I cannot believe for a moment that she loves that snake!" he spat.

"A jilted lover would not believe it. But come, see for yourself," Saladin ordered, leading the two of us into the throne room. The guard dogs were all assembled around the room, and kneeling at the twin thrones were Alhazred and Cassima, a priest before them.

Cassima looked at Alhazred. "I, Cassima, declare Abdul Alhazred as my lawful and beloved husband, and king of this realm…." Her words sounded only a little forced, but I knew something was afoot.

Alexander was horrorstruck. "But, Cassima, what are you saying?" he breathed.

"Do you still claim that the princess is being forced?" Saladin raised his eyebrows. "Perhaps it's you that's the danger, as the vizier has said."

A sideways glance at Alexander told me he was too spellbound to do or say anything, so it was up to me. Clearing my throat rather loudly, I raised a hand over my head and called to the front of the room, "Excuse me, sorry for the interruption!"

Alexander, Saladin, the guard dogs, and the priest looked at me as I went on, "Did we happen to miss the time when the spectators were invited to say why the union should not proceed? Because, uh—I have someone here who might have an objection or two," I nodded, seizing Alexander by the wrist and yanking him after me as I approached the wedding.

Cassima and Alhazred got to their feet, the princess keeping her eyes down as Alhazred took in our presence with anger. "Prince Alexander here?" he snarled. "And you must be that pesky foreign assassin! This is an outrage! How dare you allow these traitors to get past you, Saladin? You stupid mutt! Can't you even keep the castle free of assassins during your own princess's wedding?! Kill them! Kill them now!"

Saladin growled, looking like he wanted nothing more than to draw his sword and raise it against Alhazred. "Lord Alhazred, with all due respect, you are not quite king yet. And this is a wedding ceremony, not an execution."

"What?!" Alhazred glared. "How dare you contradict me, you flea-bitten mongrel?! I gave a direct order. Obey me, or feel my wrath!"

Saladin's tone became apologetic and humble as he addressed Cassima. "Milady, I apologize for my behavior, but I am yours to command in all things. I wanted merely to hear your own wishes from your own lips. Tell me what it is that you wish me to do with this young man and lady, and I will obey!"

Cassima finally lifted her eyes and my lips parted in a silent gasp when I saw they were bright gold. "Why, Captain, you heard my dear Abdul. If he wishes this atrocious young man and woman's deaths, then I want nothing more than to see him get his wish. Obey thy liege now and always."

"As you wish, princess," Saladin nodded once, drawing his sword.

"Captain, stop!" I begged. "That's not—!"

"Hold!" another voice shouted from the entrance of the throne room. "In the name of the true king!"

Saladin sheathed his sword as everyone turned to see the wrathful forms of King Caliphim and Queen Allaria burst into the room, followed by a line of supporters. "Cassima, darling, are you all right? Has he hurt you?" Queen Allaria gasped as she and her husband made a beeline for the procession.

I bowed my head in respect as King Caliphim ordered Alhazred, "Hands off of her, you murderous goat!"

"Cassima" glared at her parents, apparently not beside herself with disbelief and joy that they weren't as dead as all had previously thought. "If I want your advice, I'll ask for it, Mother!"

Queen Allaria withdrew in horror, as though she'd been slapped. "But, Caliphim, that's not Cassima! I'd know my daughter anywhere," she shook her head.

"What have you done with our daughter, you devil?!" King Caliphim demanded.

I learned that day that I seemed to love playing the brash hero, because the next words out of my lips were "Why don't you show everyone your TRUE form, Shamir Shamazel?"

"Cassima" smirked as her lovely form burst into smoke. When the smoke cleared, sure enough, standing in the princess's place was a bare-chested man wearing what looked like a hula skirt and a hat like Alhazred's. The priest retracted in horror as King Caliphim held his startled wife close.

Saladin, on the other hand, was seething mad. "Why, you—you conniving serpent!" he spat at Shamir.

"Get him, guards!" the king ordered. "Saladin, your sword!"

Alhazred actually stomped his foot. "Drat it all!" he cursed. "You may have ruined my plans, but you won't get me, or your precious Cassima! Get them, Shamir! I command you!" And with that, he ran for the throne room antechamber and slammed the door behind him.

"He's getting away! Stop him!" King Caliphim bellowed.

"Yes, Sire!" Saladin nodded. "As soon as I deal with this genie!"

Hoping Shamir wouldn't harm the people in the throne room, Alexander and I dashed after Alhazred, climbing the spiral staircase all the way to the top.

There, at the end of the staircase was a spacious, circular room, where Alhazred stood not far from Cassima. Right behind us was a large, ornamental sword that looked as heavy as a certain Megaton Hammer. The beautiful maiden was tied up and struggling to break free. When she heard us walk in, she gasped, "Alexander, Kit, be careful! Alhazred has a sword!"

"Shut up, wench!" Alhazred ordered. "Shamir Shamazel, get in here!"

In a quick poof, the genie returned, appearing at his master's side. "Here I am, Master!" he panted.

Alhazred's upper lip curled. "It's about time, you bumbling fool! How could you let them follow me?!"

"Well, there were the guard dogs, Master, and then—" Shamir tried to explain, but the evil vizier cut him off.

"Never mind!" he erupted. "Just kill them! Kill them now!"

Shamir exhaled rather heavily. "As you wish, Master." He did a little dance as magic swirled around his hands, chanting, "Razzle dazzle, snap and snazzle…"

I was distracted by the sight of Jollo running up the stairs and offering me a lamp identical to the one I'd given him. "Oh, Kit, just like you said!" he murmured urgently. "I swapped the lamps! Here, quick, take it!"

"Fantastic work, Jollo!" I whispered back, taking the lamp. "You've done us a great service, friend. Now hurry and go before you get hurt."

"No argument there," he shook his head. "Good luck!" he wished before running back downstairs.

Alexander quickly snatched the lamp out of my hand and opened it, showing it to the genie across the room. "Shamir Shamazel, hold your spells! I am your master now! I order you to go back into your lamp!" he ordered in a strong, firm voice.

This latest development left Alhazred in disbelief. "How did you get my lamp?" he demanded. "You thief! You—you—you've ruined me!"

Shamir, conversely, was elated. "My lamp!" he cried. "Oh, thank Balhalla! I hated working for that loathsome creature. I already feel his nastiness leaving me! How I've longed for a master like you!" He disappeared and reappeared in front of Alexander, happily filtering into his lamp like smoke. "I've got a new master, I've got a new master…" he sang with glee.

As Alexander corked the lamp, Alhazred stormed up to us and drew his sword. Instead of handing me the lamp, Alexander tossed it down the stairs. He must have thought giving me the lamp would only make Alhazred turn his sword on me.

"So you are a thief as well, Alexander," he growled. "Stealing the lamp was very clever, I'll grant you that, but I am the master thief! Face my sword if you dare! The man left standing shall have the lamp."

"You would seriously kill a man over a genie you treated like dirt?" I confirmed, my lip curling in disgust. "God, you're such a rat."

"That's enough, Kit," Alexander told me, his angry brown eyes fixed on Alhazred. "I don't need the genie to deal with such a coward." Quickly, he reached behind him to seize the ornamental sword and it immediately clanged on the floor. Alexander hoisted it up over his shoulder, his eyebrows raised in surprise at its weight. "Zounds!" he gasped. "This sword must weigh a ton!"

Alhazred chuckled. "Good. Then you shall only fail sooner, my prince, leaving me to take the lives of your precious friend and princess."

I have no idea why, but his remark pissed me off to no end. With an angry glare, I snapped in his face. "Hey, tough guy, over here. You really think it's easy to take down someone like me?"

"Kit, what are you doing?" Alexander hissed at me.

"Defending my pride, what do you think I'm doing?!" I snapped back, covertly signaling him to strike while Alhazred's attention was fixed on me. "You seriously believe I would take that lying down?! Uh-uh, you, sir, just made the biggest mistake of your life!" Alhazred staggered when Alexander's enormous sword collided with the back of his shoulder, and I grinned. "Taking your eyes off the one with the real weapon."

Growling, Alhazred got back on his feet and glared at Alexander while I scurried off to help Cassima free herself. "So! The mouse would bite?"

"This mouse shall bite!" the Daventry prince glared back. "As you shall soon see, or should I say soon feel?"

They began sword-fighting, weaving around the room in an almost clumsy dance. "Ha!" Alhazred spat. "You can barely lift that sword, my prince. Better to lay it down now. I promise to dispatch you with little pain."

"A tempting offer," Alexander growled, "but I think I'll wait and see what this sword can do."

"Suit yourself," Alhazred hissed. They kept on clashing swords, Alexander just barely hanging in there. They would occasionally stop to flail fists at one another, but it didn't look like either was gaining the upper hand on the other.

Quickly, I found the dagger I'd given Princess Cassima in her dress and used it to cut her free, giving it back to her just as Alexander began to display signs of exhaustion. "Hurry!" I urged her quietly as Alhazred raised his sword.

She quickly crept towards Alhazred as he proclaimed in victory, "Ha! And so it ends!"

"Not if I can help it, you murderer!" Cassima growled before thrusting the small dagger into the back of his shoulder with all her might.

Alhazred let out a shriek of pain as I ran up to them. She dashed away just as the vizier whipped around, his face contorted in an ugly blend of fury and pain. "You! You dare raise a finger to me?! You will regret that, princess!"

"Hey!" I shouted, getting up in his face. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Then I punched him in the face as hard as I could. Hopefully the ring on my finger amplified the punch, if only a little bit. Concentrating on getting the sword out of his hand before he impaled me with it, I drove my knee into his stomach, pulling him down into it by his shoulders. As soon as his attention was off it, I grabbed the wrist holding the sword and flung it to the side as hard as I could. I actually heard something crack, and the sword went flying out of his hand to the side of the room.

He growled as he tried to recover it, but I pulled on his cape and swung a leg under his feet. As he struggled to remain standing, he kicked behind him, hitting me in my bad knee and forcing me to the floor. As I went down, I could feel the kneecap twisting out of place and tried not to vomit. Great, now I'd have to set it myself again.

"Kit!" Cassima shouted, panicked.

Panting, Alhazred grabbed up his sword and pointed the tip at my face. "You put up quite the fight for an impudent little brat, but your bravado will not save you now."

"Aren't you forgetting something, Alhazred?" a rage-filled voice behind him spat. The evil usurper turned only to be met with cold hard steel, and he collapsed to the floor next to me, unconscious. Dropping the heavy sword next to him, Alexander knelt at my side. "Are you badly hurt, Kit?"

I grinned as my hands made their way to my dislocated kneecap. "You better check on your lady fair first, your highness. I'll be okay."

Worry evident in his eyes, Alexander got up and walked over to Princess Cassima as I snapped my knee back into place. After taking a second to blink stars out of my eyes, I straightened my leg and turned my head to see Alexander holding Cassima by the shoulders. "Cassima! Are you all right?" he inquired.

"I'm fine, Alexander," she responded, "but I was so afraid for you and Kit!"

"I'm all right," I raised a hand, flashing a weak smile at the two. "Thank you, milady, everything will be all right now."

"Yes," Alexander concurred. "There's no need to fear any more, princess."

"Yes, I know," she exhaled in relief. "How can I ever repay you, for myself, for my kingdom?"

"Well," Alexander confessed shyly, "Kit was right before. You do mean a great deal to me. It was not in me to let harm come to you. Can you find it in you, princess, to give me more than your gratitude?"

"Oh, come on," I chuckled, "get to the point, lover boy."

Alexander threw a glare over his shoulder at me as Cassima tilted her head in confusion. "Alexander?"

"I love you, Cassima," he told her bluntly. "Would you ever consider…do you think you could…marry me?"

Her eyes softened. "Could you ever have doubted it, my prince?"

Encouraged, Alexander leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips. She pressed back with fervor, and I was actually kind of glad they were so swept up in the moment they didn't care people were watching.

Alhazred twitched next to me as I became aware of two pairs of footsteps coming closer to us. I looked up when I heard a gravelly voice growl, "Ahem!" and the lovers broke apart.

They quickly stood up to face the two guard dogs standing over me and Alhazred. "Oh! Guards!" Cassima greeted in surprise.

"Princess Cassima, are you well?" one asked.

"I'm quite well, thank you," she nodded. "Please take Abdul and put him in the dungeon. See to it that he gets a doctor. And if you would be so kind, would you ask the other guards to escort Miss Kit to a guest room so her knee can be seen to?"

"Yes, Majesty," one of the guards nodded, but I raised a hand, pulling myself into a sitting position.

"That won't be necessary, thank you, Majesty," I shook my head, managing to hoist myself to my feet while keeping my leg taut. "Your only concern is the vizier."

Grumbling, Alhazred got to his feet, rubbing his head as he followed one of the guards out, the other following him with a drawn sword.

"You absolutely sure you're all right, Kit?" Alexander pressed as he and Cassima approached me.

I nodded, turning my head away as I did so. "So!" I exhaled, turning my head back to them. "When's the big day?"


	17. The Land's Long Awaited Happy Ending

When Alexander told me he intended to marry Cassima a week after defeating Alhazred, so his family and everyone around the islands would be able to attend, I tried to politely decline the invitation and try to figure out a way home with the strange gemstone the Oracle had given me. Cassima insisted I stay and act as the maid of honor.

So, for a week, as the Castle of the Crown prepared for yet another wedding, I helped the princess with ceremonial duties and spent my free time wondering how to use the jewel to go back home.

A few days before Alexander and Cassima's wedding, the soon-to-be-king asked the Captain of the Guard to perform the ceremony. He proclaimed he was honored to do so, and instructed me the second Alexander was out of earshot, "Which means it is your duty to ensure the princess looks stunning when she walks into the throne room. After all, you and your friend have done no little service for the Land."

"Precisely, Captain," I nodded, grinning. "A way to repay him in kind for his deeds."

On the day itself, Alexander stood by the thrones, smiling at me when I took my position on the other side of the thrones, next to the Queen. Moments later, King Caliphim walked in, with a beautiful Cassima on his arm. The prince was absolutely spellbound as she joined him in front of Captain Saladin.

"On this historical day of great joy in the Land of the Green Isles, we witness the union of Cassima, beloved princess of this realm, and Alexander, prince of Daventry," Saladin announced to the congregation before addressing Alexander. "Do you, Prince Alexander of Daventry, take Princess Cassima to be your wife, to love and to cherish for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," he responded, his eyes on her and her alone.

"And do you, Princess Cassima of the Land of the Green Isles, take Prince Alexander to be your husband, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?" he asked the princess.

Her eyes were also locked onto his as she replied, "I do."

"Do you have a ring?" the Captain inquired.

"I have Alexander's royal insignia ring," she smiled.

"Very good," he nodded. "Please place the ring on Cassima's finger." As soon as the gold ring was on her left hand, he addressed the congregation. "Who gives this bride to be wed?"

King Caliphim, next to me, raised a hand. "Her mother and I willingly give our daughter's hand in wedlock."

"Who will speak for the groom?" Saladin went on.

On the other side of the room were three noble figures I assumed to be Alexander's family. One was a man with a feathered adventurer's cap, standing beside a lovely woman in a beautiful purple gown and a young woman maybe a little older than me with long, braided blond hair.

The man raised his hand in response to Saladin. "I will. Alexander's mother and I recognize his marriage to Princess Cassima with glad hearts, and sanction this union."

"Then, Alexander and Cassima, I now pronounce you man and wife," Saladin proclaimed. "You may kiss the bride."

Alexander did so with great fervor as cheers filled the throne room. When they separated for air, Caliphim beamed. "Congratulations, my children. I have an important question for you both, please hear me."

"Yes, Sire?" Alexander inquired as he and his bride faced the king.

"Alexander, I welcome you into our family with open arms," he told the prince. "I placed trust in Alhazred because I so badly wanted a son and a husband for my beloved daughter. I was wrong. But you are true and good, Alexander, and have proven yourself to all my people."

"That's for sure," I agreed.

"Allaria and I have been through much," Caliphim went on. "Even though we have returned to our kingdom, I do not think we are able to reign again. Would you two consider the crown? I know as king and queen you can heal this small kingdom from all the damage that Alhazred has inflicted upon it."

Cassima was shocked. "Oh, Father!"

"Why, I'm honored," Alexander stuttered. "What do you think, Cassima?"

She smiled at him. "I love my homeland, Alexander. I would be happy to stay and serve it all my days!"

Alexander now faced his family. "Father? I believe I'm needed here. Would you be very disappointed if…?"

The king and queen of Daventry, as well as Alexander's sister, approached him. "Son, you must follow your destiny," King Graham told him. "I do believe the Land of the Green Isles needs you. You'll be a magnificent king, though dearly missed in Daventry."

Taking his father's hands, Alexander smiled brightly. "Then, I accept."

His father stepped away so his mother could embrace him. "Oh, my boy, what a man you've become, and how I will miss you."

"Don't worry, Mother," he assured her. "With Shamir's powers, we'll be able to visit often. I'm not about to forget my family."

Now it was his sister's turn to embrace him. "Congratulations, Alexander," she laughed. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thank you, dear sister," he whispered to her.

As his family returned to where they stood before, Cassima sighed happily, "Oh, Alexander, I'm so glad! Between the return of my beloved parents and our new reign, you've made me so happy."

He smiled at her. "I'm glad I could make up for some of your suffering, my beautiful wife."

"Congratulations, King Alexander," his father beamed. "When we return home to Daventry, your crew will be glad to hear that their battle at sea was worthwhile in bringing forth a new monarch."

"We were so worried when your men arrived home without you, son," Queen Valanice told him. "I am so thankful that you are safe and happy."

"And I am as grateful that my crew did not pay for my driven heart," Alexander responded as he and Cassima faced Saladin.

"You have only brought us all good fortune, Sire," he pronounced. "With Shamir saved and his power used for good, reuniting the islands will be far easier. He has already repaired the ferry. Your road will be easier now that the islands are no longer feuding. Already the wounds are starting to heal."

Cassima nodded. "Yes, my love, discovering the islands' stolen treasures has done more to bring peace to this land than anything else. It is now clear that Alhazred had Shamir steal each of the islands' most valued treasures, then blamed the thefts on others to cause the islands to hate each other."

_So…pretty much what we figured before._

"Now let us celebrate our good fortune!" Saladin proclaimed. "The evil that has plagued this land is done, and a new reign begins! Long live King Alexander and Queen Cassima!"

The congregation eagerly took up the cheer as Jollo danced around happily and Shamir produced confetti to throw everywhere. Recognizing this as my cue to skedaddle, I started to head for the doors. I was almost there when—

"Kit, wait!"

_Damn!_ All heads turned towards me as I stepped away from the throne room doors. "Yes, your majesty?"

With a smile, Alexander beckoned me to him and Cassima. The representatives of the other islands moved aside as I, rather hesitantly, made my way back to the front of the room. I put a hand under my shoulder blade and bowed my head as he said, "None of this would have been possible without you."

"With all due respect, Sire, this was a joint effort. My part was no more important than yours," I smiled at the floor.

He chuckled. "Captain, your sword, please?" My eyes widened as Saladin drew his sword and handed it to Alexander. I closed them as he gently tapped both my shoulders with the flat of the blade before handing it back to Saladin. "Please rise, Lady Kit of the Land of the Green Isles."

Alexander, Cassima, Caliphim, Allaria, and Jollo were all smiling as I brought my head up. My jaw was still rather slack as I stood, my hand still under my shoulder blade. "Three cheers for Lady Kit!" Jollo declared.

The guard dogs led the cheer among the rest of the congregation as I looked around in surprise. All these people were cheering for _me_, for crying out loud. "Majesties—I—"

"Shamir, would you please take a look at Lady Kit's gemstone?" Alexander nodded at Shamir.

"Certainly, Master!" Shamir agreed. Quickly, I dug the gemstone out and showed it to him. "Oh! My, my, my! This is an incredibly rare teleportation stone!"

"So this can get me home?" I affirmed.

"That is one of the last few sacred treasures we possess," Lord Azure told me. "A relic as holy as that belonged only to the Oracle. If she has seen fit to entrust it to you, no doubt you will take good care of it."

I threw a grateful smile at the Winged Ones. "Thank you. So…what do I do?" I asked the genie.

"First, you must tap it twice." Once I did so, he continued, "Now tell it where you want to go, and be sure to picture it in your mind's eye."

"Kit." Alexander walked up to me and touched my shoulder. "You will visit, won't you?"

I smiled back at him. "If that's what you want—King Alexander."

"Please, Lady Kit," King Graham said to me, "allow me to thank you on behalf of my family for assisting my son. Perhaps someday you can visit our kingdom."

"Maybe someday," I nodded back. "I would be honored should that day come." Then I spoke to the gemstone. "Please take me back to my home," I instructed, closing my eyes to better picture my room so the gemstone would send me there.

What looked like pyreflies to me swirled all around my body as it began to fade, and I smiled one last time at everyone gathered there, saving the last smile for the new monarchs of the Land of the Green Isles.

When I reopened my eyes, my bedroom wall was the first thing I saw. My legs were tangled in the blankets, and my hands were clenched into fists at my chest.

_Was it all a dream?_

I looked down at my fists and quickly stretched out my left arm to be mindful of my tennis elbow. Once my hands were separated, a small obsidian gemstone fell out of my right hand and onto the mattress.

I blinked at the stone before picking it up and examining it by the light. Sure enough, in some places, it looked more like an emerald than obsidian.

A smile made its way across my lips as I stared at the jewel. "Aw, sweet."

As I got out of bed to prepare for the day, I couldn't help singing a little ditty as I went. "_Adventure is out there, it's heading our way…_"


End file.
